While oxygen therapy is a cornerstone of modern medical
practice, the recognition of oxygen toxicity as an important clinical
problem is relatively recent. Reports in the early 50s linked oxygen
therapy and retrolental fibroplasia in premature infants. It was
reported in the early 1970s that breathing 50-100% oxygen at one
atmosphere was potentially toxic to the lungs. There has since
been recognition of the toxic effects on other systems of the body
including the eyes, red cells, liver, heart, kidneys and endocrine
systems as well as general damage to cells.