A tank surcharge fee has been created to secure funding for the purchase of a decompression chamber.<\/p>\n
In enacting Rep. Joseph Deleon Guerrero\u2019s (R-Saipan) House Bill 20-09, the new law would require scuba dive shop operators to impose on divers a $10 surcharge fee per tank. The collected fees would be used to purchase a decompression chamber in the CNMI.<\/p>\n
The Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. chief executive officer is designated as the expenditure authority over the funds.<\/p>\n
Gov. Ralph DLG Torres signed the bill into law last Jan. 5.<\/p>\n
Right now, patients requiring the aid of a decompression chamber would have to be brought to Guam.<\/p>\n
A decompression chamber, also known as a hyperbaric chamber or a recompression chamber, is an equipment that produces a high-pressure environment to treat compression sickness, which is common for scuba divers that ascend from great depths without properly normalizing pressures within their bodies.<\/p>\n
Without gradually ascending to the surface after an extended diving session or after diving at great depth, the body forms a buildup of pressure due to inert gases dissolved in the body. <\/p>\n
Divers who suffer from compression sickness may sustain long-term injuries or even death if not treated promptly.<\/p>\n
The decompression chamber also has several health benefits associated with the treatment of conditions such as diabetes, carbon monoxide poisoning, or bacterial and radiation illnesses. <\/p>\n
The new law goes into the books as Public Law 20-36.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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