Canned Oxygen Selling Like Hotcakes

Gawker recently reported a disturbing trend. It seems that canned oxygen is flying off the shelves at New York City’s Duane Reade drugstores. This may seem laughable at first, a bit insane. But what does this mean? Who in their right mind would buy (what’s essentially) bottled air?

Proponents of the freely available commodity say that pure oxygen invigorates you, clears your head, cures hangovers and so on. Oxygen bars are a popular diversion in Las Vegas, and professional athletes have been seen taking swigs on the sidelines.

Maybe urban air quality is so bad, that people need a $16 a can pick-me-up. But perhaps, working on cleaning the air for everyone is the answer, not selling pure single serving doses. The air we breathe is about 21% oxygen, and too much oxygen has been known to cause health problems. I’ll stick with taking a few deep breaths, it’s free – and a lot safer.

[via Gawker]