The development of osteonecrosis after exposure to altered air pressures is consistent with cellular injury brought about by active oxygen species. The syndrome is considered to arise as a result of an unusual combination of circumstances in which hyperoxia itself, together with the additive responses of the endocrine system to hyperoxia, hypothermia and exertion, each appear to play a part; the net result is thought to increase the mitochondrial generation of superoxide. It is suggested that effective prophylaxis may be possible primarily by establishing a nutritional status that is adequate to ensure that the functional activities of radical-scavenging systems are not hampered by deficiencies either of essential trace elements or of vitamin E. Pharmacological pretreatments designed both to decrease excessive levels of superoxide through increased catalysis of anionic dismutation and to attenuate enzyme-dependent peroxidation may provide an additional line of defence.