Plane travel can be scary. Flying in a small metal tube over 30 thousand feet in the air is not a fun time. There’s the turbulence, the fear of a crash and even all the weird people you are sitting next to. Think about it: the people seated beside you could be ANYONE, a fact that can add an element of mystery and discomfort to the journey.  

But thankfully, plane travel is statistically one of the safest modes of transportation. Plus, there are a whole bunch of safety features, from escape slides to oxygen masks, to keep you safe in the air. But have you ever considered how the oxygen mask works?  

I’m sure you assume, like most people, that there is a giant oxygen tank somewhere on the plane, and all the passengers are sharing this giant tub of life-giving air. Well, it turns out we are all wrong, and one man on TikTok is right.  

JoeSpinsTheGlobe posted a video explaining that the masks that drop down in an emergency are connected to something called an oxygen generator or oxygen candle. When you pull down on the mask, you ignite a primer that heats up the ‘candle’ and burns sodium chlorate in a solid form. This burns at over 600 degrees Celsius, decomposing the sodium chlorate into oxygen and table salt. In the description of the video, he also explains, ‘if you smell something burning *after* the masks come down, it's probably this thing.’ 

So, there you go, it’s not a tank, but a weird burning thing. Something fun to think about next time the mask drops down: you take deep panic breaths and grip the seat during stomach-churning turbulence.