Final answer:
Oxygen tanks and equipment in dental workplaces are used to sedate patients or provide emergency oxygen support. Oxygen therapy is essential for treating carbon monoxide poisoning because it replaces carbon monoxide on hemoglobin, aiding normal oxygen delivery. Oxygen is also crucial for various industrial processes, including steel production and metal fabrication.
Step-by-step explanation:
An oxygen tank and related equipment are used to deliver and control the administration of oxygen in various scenarios, including medical and dental workplaces. In the context of a dental setting, oxygen tanks might be used in situations where a patient requires sedation or in the event of a medical emergency where a patient needs oxygen support due to distress or complications.
Oxygen is crucial for cellular metabolism and is bound to hemoglobin in the blood to be transported to body tissues, while carbon dioxide is a byproduct of metabolism and is transported from body tissues back to the lungs to be exhaled. Administering 100 percent oxygen can treat carbon monoxide poisoning because it helps the displacement of carbon monoxide from hemoglobin, allowing normal oxygen transport to resume. Giving carbon dioxide would not be therapeutic as it is a waste product of respiration and not a carrier of oxygen.
In the steel production and fabrication industry, oxygen serves an essential role in the oxidizing process and the removal of carbon. This is also true in the cutting and welding of metals, where oxygen is used with other gases to create extremely hot flames. In all these instances, including the dental workplace, oxygen is stored in compressed form and expands to a larger volume when released, making it possible to store and transport large quantities in relatively small containers.