What is the percentage of oxygen in a typical sample of uncontaminated air?
Official USCG Answer & Rule Citation
Correct Answer: Option D — 21 percent
Standard atmospheric air is composed of approximately 21 percent oxygen, 78 percent nitrogen, and 1 percent trace gases. Maintaining awareness of this baseline is essential for atmospheric testing in confined spaces, where oxygen levels can be depleted by oxidation, displacement by other gases, or biological activity within the space.
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