What Researchers Did
US researchers discharged firearms of various calibres at sections of monoplace hyperbaric chamber acrylic and at a pressurized monoplace chamber to assess the threat to patients and bystanders in an active shooter scenario.
What They Found
Handguns required multiple shots to penetrate acrylic; a single rifle shot penetrated stand-alone acrylic sections. A pressurized chamber required two AR-15 shots to breach, resulting in rapid depressurization but no explosion or fire. The chamber remained intact, presenting no additional threat to bystanders beyond ricochet risk.
Canadian Relevance
No direct Canadian connection identified. Canadian healthcare facilities with HBOT chambers should incorporate this safety data into their emergency preparedness planning.
Study Limitations
This study tested a single chamber model in controlled conditions; results may vary with different chamber manufacturers, chamber ages, or chamber pressures.