On Sunday, December 01, 2002 8:20 PM, Christian Gerzner wrote:
(snip)
> Tom Mount of IANTD, some years ago now, wrote very negatively about
> Sudafed and what he said made sense, to me anyway. I quote:

> > CAUTION! DO DECONGESTANTS THREATEN YOUR DIVE SAFETY?
> by Tom Mount.

> Many of us over the years have evolved to diving drug junkies. We
> begin our dive day with a mixture of coffee, aspirin and Sudafed. In
> recent months several accidents and near misses have  produced concern
> as to the effects of Sudafed and other decongestants on  divers,
> especially while deep diving and/or gas diving.
(More snipped)
> >From Australia, Rob Cason reports Oceaneering International commercial
> dive company banned Sudafed over ten years ago due to its adverse
> effects on their divers.

As an aside, Rob, while he was still serving with the Royal Australian Navy,
used to be my assistant in teaching diving.  He died, BTW, a few years back.

>Recent recreational occurrences in Australia
> as reported by Rob Cason IANTD Australasia, parallel those referenced
> above.

Rob played a prominent role in the early development of Australian Technical
diving in the 'eighties and very early 'nineties when our previous
roles were reversed and I began teaching for him! :-)

He was also a regular poster at that time to the younger - and much
smaller - Tech Diving forum.  I remember the Sudafed debate very well, it's
suspected relationship to oxtox hits, and Rob's role in the debate.  In all
fairness to him, once he had the bit between his teeth he refused to let go.
In that regard many of the "occurences" referred to in the Tom Mount article
were not supported by fact!

This is not to defend the use of Sudafed, or to suggest that it hasn't
played a role in any diving incidents.  Rather, it's pointing up the fact
that just because somebody says something, it doesn't necessarily make it
so!  :-)

Strike