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Biological Safety of Hydrogen

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Hydrogen Molecular Biology and Medicine

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Abstract

Based on three main reasons, the biosafety of hydrogen is very high: The first is evidence from medical research on hydrogen diving, the second is that hydrogen is an endogenous gas, and the third is direct research on the biosafety of hydrogen. Research on hydrogen diving, combined with human trials on hydrogen diving, proved that hydrogen is very safe for humans to breathe. Since a certain level of hydrogen is produced by Escherichia coli in the large intestine of normal humans, hydrogen can be considered an endogenous gas. So far, no clinical evidence has been found that hydrogen can be harmful for the human body. Published data from the EU and the US government on the biosafety of hydrogen showed that hydrogen has no acute or chronic toxicity on the human body under normal pressure. Despite this, any substance that can produce biological effects on the human body has the potential of destroying homeostasis, which may be harmful. Although the biosafety of hydrogen is very high, we still cannot assure that hydrogen has no side effects on the human body.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hyperbaric Medicine, Navy General Hospital, Fucheng Road, Beijing, China

    Qiang Sun

  2. Department of Cadre Ward, Navy General Hospital, Fucheng Road, Beijing, China

    Wenjie Han

  3. Department of Emergency, Disaster and Critical Care Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Japan

    Atsunori Nakao

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  1. Qiang Sun
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  2. Wenjie Han
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  3. Atsunori Nakao
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Correspondence to Atsunori Nakao .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Diving Medicine, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China

    Xuejun Sun

  2. Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biol, Nippon Medical School, Kawasaki, Japan

    Shigeo Ohta

  3. Department of Emergency, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Japan

    Atsunori Nakao

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Sun, Q., Han, W., Nakao, A. (2015). Biological Safety of Hydrogen. In: Sun, X., Ohta, S., Nakao, A. (eds) Hydrogen Molecular Biology and Medicine. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9691-0_3

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