Why a CO2 Monitor May be Needed? Where Carbon Dioxide leaks Occur

Do you work with carbon dioxide (or CO2) in your industry? If so, then you may need a carbon dioxide monitor to check for gas leaks that could pose a hazard to your workplace safety. Learn common scenarios where carbon dioxide can leak and see how a CO2 detector can minimize your risk.

Industries Where CO2 Monitors Can Make a Difference

There are many industries that utilize carbon dioxide gas, and we believe that all of these could benefit from the presence of a carbon dioxide monitor. Industries where a CO2 detector can make a difference include:

• Restaurant/fast food - Does your restaurant or fast food chain have a soda machine? If so, then you rely on carbon dioxide gas to pass through water, mix with flavored syrup, and create carbonated soda. When everything works properly, you can easily serve sodas. When the carbon dioxide line develops a leak and CO2 gas enters the premesis or gets into the sodas, you can sicken employees and customers. In a worst case scenario, you could be liable for the death of customers due to CO2 exposure.
• Convenience stores and gas stations - Convenience stores and gas stations using soda machines can benefit from a CO2 detector for the same reason as restaurants and fast food chains.
• Craft brewing - CO2 gas in a natural byproduct of the brewing process, creating fizz as yeast eats natural sugars. The CO2 is usually contained within the fermentation tank; however, the carbon dioxide could escape through the tank's airlock and valves. CO2 is heavier than air, so it can rest on the brewery floor where staff breathe it in. A CO2 gas detector can alert brewery staff to escaped gas, preventing a workplace catastrophe.
• Agriculture - Since grain gives off carbon dioxide gas in the silo environment, grain elevators have a need for CO2 detectors for worker safety and quality control. Even low levels of carbon dioxide can indicate grain spoilage. Early detection can not only protect the crop but safeguard worker health.
• Firefighters - Firefighters knowingly face danger to keep society safe from devastating fires, but they also face dangerous CO2 gases. Certain types of spray foam insulation that contain Icynene foam produce carbon dioxide gas in a fire. Firefighters also stock carbon dioxide canisters for use in firefighting, as the gas can be used to put out fires since it reduces environmental oxygen. If CO2 canisters develop leaks, or crews enter an environment that contains Icynene foam, firefighters risk breathing in dangerous fumes. A CO2detector can help crews monitor their risk on the job.
How CO2 Gas Monitors Can Help
If staff could see or smell carbon dioxide, they would be able to protect themselves and your customers. Unfortunately, this gas is odorless and colorless - a silent killer. There is no way for staff to tell whether systems are working properly or whether CO2 gas is leaking into the work environment. A carbon dioxide detector is a quick and easy way to tell when something has gone wrong.

When a leak occurs, it will disrupt the levels of oxygen in the air, ultimately creating an oxygen deficient environment. When there is not enough oxygen in a room, employees will begin to experience respiratory problems. The risk of death increases the longer staff remain in an oxygen deficient room.

A carbon dioxide monitor will detect levels of oxygen in the air round the clock, so no one needs to set it after the initial installation. When everything is functioning well, the alarm remains silent yet alert. The CO2 gas monitor will sound an alarm when levels of oxygen in the room reach the lower limit of the safe zone. Employees will hear and see the alarm, and can safely evacuate the space for their own health.

CO2 gas monitors from PureAire are equipped with zirconium sensors, which can last for 10 years without maintenance. Our products are reliable, well-constructed, and built to last in high-traffic retail and industrial environments. When safety matters, choose the best in oxygen monitoring equipment. Choose PureAire. Learn more about our products and our mission at www.pureairemonitoring.com.

Source

http://www.firefighternation.com/article/hidden-danger
http://www.critical-environment.com/blog/carbon-dioxide-co2-leak-in-soda-machines/
http://www.feedandgrain.com/magazine/co2-monitoring-a-new-grain-management-tool

CO2 Monitor For Breweries: Carbon Dioxide Safety and How to Stay Safe

Carbon dioxide is a necessary byproduct of the brewing process, yet too much CO2 can be dangerous to employee health. In Germany, two workers died at the same brewery in 2012 due to hazardous levels of CO2 present in beer mixing and pressure tanks. Learn more about how CO2 levels can get out of control during the beer brewing process and ways to protect your staff from this deadly gas.

Carbon Dioxide in Brewing

As beer ferments in stainless steel fermentation tanks, the yeast that was pitched into the wort eats up the natural sugars (glucose) over the course of 14 days or more. Lagers have a longer fermentation period of up to 6 weeks. During this time, the beer is held in a pressurized tank and kept at a constant temperature. As the yeast consumes the sugars, it creates carbon dioxide gas and ethyl alcohol. The alcohol-free wort then becomes both carbonated and alcoholic, essentially turning into beer as we know it.

Some carbon dioxide gas escapes the fermenter through an airlock during the initial fermentation period. However, as the beer finishes fermentation and reaches its final specific gravity (a measure of alcohol by volume), the airlock is capped and CO2 is then allowed to build up inside the tank. This ensures that beer becomes carbonated and develops the fizzy mouth feel you've come to associate with beer. Additional carbon dioxide can be added to the beer as needed to control the end result and ensure consistency in commercial brewing.

Hazards of Carbon Dioxide

While carbon dioxide is crucial to the taste and feel of beer, it is also highly dangerous. CO2 displaces oxygen, which can lead to asphyxiation if the oxygen deficiency is not corrected. CO2 can also be highly toxic, even at levels as low as 0.5%. Exposure to more than 10% by volume of carbon dioxide can cause death within minutes. By the time a fellow staff member realizes that a colleague is non-responsive or has been overcome by exposure, the damage is done.

Brewers must control their exposure to CO2 through all aspects of the beer brewing process, from fermentation to packaging and bottling. CO2 is heavier than air, so it will settle to the bottom of fermentation tanks. The gas can then escape from fermentation tanks and hide on the brewery floor, in invisible and dangerous pockets of air.

Since carbon dioxide gas is odorless and colorless, brewery workers may not know when they are being exposed to dangerous levels of CO2 until it's too late. Even if staff are trained in the best practices regarding carbon dioxide in the environment, they cannot protect themselves from something they cannot see or smell.

To keep staff safe, it's a smart idea to monitor levels of carbon dioxide in the air. A dual-use oxygen/carbon dioxide sensor can monitor existing levels of CO2 and alert staff if the amount of CO2 start to rise. This monitor can also track the level of oxygen, sounding an alarm if oxygen levels fall to a point where staff do not have enough oxygen to breathe.

When levels of CO2 reach the point that can be hazardous to health or exceed the minimum exposure risk, or when the amount of oxygen in the air becomes too low, visual and auditory alarms go of that alert all staff on the brewery floor to the dangers. Staff can then evacuate the premises safely.

These monitors take readings of the levels of O2 and CO2 in the environment at all times. If levels become too high, brewery staff can remove carbon dioxide from the environment by using the ring main or manually removing the CO2.

PureAire offers a dual O2/CO2 monitor that has a zirconium sensor, which is uniquely equipped to perform in humid environments where temperatures fluctuate. The same Co2 detector can last for up to 10 years, and will not require significant maintenance or calibration to remain accurate. Compared to other brewery CO2 monitor offerings, PureAire's are accurate, durable, reliable, and easy to use.
As a leading expert in the area of carbon dioxide monitoring, PureAire has more than 15 years of experience creating durable oxygen deficiency monitors. Learn more about the PureAire Oxygen Monitoring System by emailing info@pureaire.net or visiting the business website, www.pureairemonitoring.com.

Is your company using Nitrogen or other Cryogenic gases? Why PureAire Recommends an O2 Deficiency Monitor for Safety.

PureAire Monitoring Systems, Inc. focuses solely on safety in the workplace, and in laboratory environments. Oxygen deficiency monitors are used in areas using Nitrogen, Helium, Argon, and Carbon Dioxide. PureAire strongly recommends an oxygen deficiency monitor to be installed anywhere cryogenic gases are being stored. The purpose of an oxygen monitor is to alert employees in the immediate area if there is a spill of nitrogen with audible alarm. The use of an O2 monitor creates a safer environment for employees and can alert local fire panels in a building as well. In New York, NY any area using more than 50 gallons of nitrogen the law states, it is mandatory for an oxygen monitor to be installed. The largest problem with these specialty gases are, if a spill occurs there is no noticeable scent or effects. A nitrogen spill can create an oxygen deficient environment rapidly within seconds. For the time it takes the body to realize there is zero breathable oxygen, it is too late. A person will pass out from oxygen deprivation immediately. This is one of the most preventable incidents; simply install an oxygen deficiency monitor for safety. Consider an argument for medicine. If one was to travel to the Amazon in South America, where malaria is common, being unaccustomed to the jungle, wouldn’t it be wise to take malaria pills? What if you have a family history of diabetes? As a family member you may consider taking any necessary precautions to possibly eliminate the concern of diabetes. Maybe by being more physically active, or having a healthier diet, this may delay or stop the onset of diabetes. An oxygen monitor is also similar to a Fire detector in your home or office. You never expect to have a fire, but a fire detector is installed for safety as a precaution. PureAire feels the oxygen monitor is the preventative medicine. Scientists and researchers will always continue to use nitrogen for their experiments. Doctors will continue to use helium to cool the large magnets used for images in the MRI scanner. Carbon dioxide will still be used for all beverage dispensing systems at fast food chains. The one factor people cannot eliminate is the use of cryogenic gases used in everyday life. The only known safety, and scientifically proven device is the oxygen deficiency monitor. The rooms dimensions, a size of the cylinders, the quantity of the cylinders, the types of cryogenic gas being used, whether the gas is being piped into a room, and height of the ceiling all play a role on where, and how many monitors are required. PureAire often gets the question, where do we place the oxygen monitor? How many O2 monitors should we use? A few simple tips can help save a life. Helium is lighter than air, so it is recommended to mount the monitor closer to the ceiling, whereas nitrogen/argon is heavier than air, so mounting the monitor closer to the ground would make sense. Carbon dioxide is also heavier than air settling to the ground. PureAire manufactures oxygen deficiency monitors for many different areas. In all cases PureAire use an oxygen deficiency monitor using a 10+ year sensor. PureAire can be contacted at 1-888-788-8050, http://www.MonitorOxygen.com, and http://www.PureAireMonitoring.com.

Are you using the right monitor for CO2?

Carbon dioxide, (CO2) detectors are commonly used to protect workers from leaks in fast food establishments and restaurants. The OSHA, ACGIH and NIOSH CO2 threshold limit value for 8 hours, (TLV) is 5,000 PPM, and the ACGIH and NIOSH short-term exposure level, (STEL) is 30,000 PPM. Although these agencies established worker exposure levels, they also all state:
“ The health effects of Carbon dioxide is a simple asphyxiant (HE17).” 1

Workers have been seriously injured due to exposure to oxygen deficiency in fast food facilities due to faulty or non-responsive CO2 monitors.

It is fact that a carbon dioxide leak from a faulty beverage dispensing system in a work environment displaces oxygen. The real health hazard is not from exposure to CO2, it’s from a lack of oxygen. “Carbon dioxide gas is an asphyxiant with effects due to lack of oxygen.” 2

“Inhaling large concentrations causes rapid circulatory insufficiency leading to coma and death. Asphyxiation is likely to occur before the effects of carbon dioxide overexposure.” 3

Virtually every publication and article written about CO2 exposure indicate that the real risk to life and health is from a lack of oxygen. CO2 monitors can not detect oxygen deficiency so why do fast food establishments and restaurants rely on them for protecting their workers when the real risks are from a lack of oxygen?

PureAire manufactures an Oxygen monitor designed to instantly detect the smallest changes in oxygen levels as a result of a CO2 leak. The earth is a wonderful source of calibrated oxygen and unlike CO2 monitors that read 0% even when the oxygen level is lower, PureAire reads continuously monitors the actual oxygen level 24-7. It’s designed to instantly alarm to hazardous levels caused by a CO2 leak.

PureAire’s oxygen monitor uses a 10+ year no maintenance no calibration sensor. All monitoring system functions are 100% supervised and fault protected. Workers are always assured of continuous protection from oxygen deficient environments from leaking CO2 and alerted in the event of a failure. In addition the oxygen monitor has built-in alarm relays for controlling automated ventilation fans or connecting to standard fire alarm panels.

It’s proven that a CO2 leak causes asphyxiation well before the effects of overexposure, and CO2 monitors can not be used to detect lower oxygen levels, then it’s clear that companies are using the wrong monitor!

A major producer of CO2 gas actually uses PureAire oxygen monitors in their gas processing plants because of their concern of lower oxygen levels due to CO2 releases. We agree with them.

Please contact PureAire toll free at 888-788-8050 for more information or visit PureAire websites, www.MonitorOxygen.com or www.PureAireMonitoring.com.


1. United States Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Organization, CO2, Chemical Sampling Information, Carbon dioxide. Revision date 9/20/2001
2. Praxair Material Safety Data Sheet, Product: Carbon Dioxide P-4574-J Date: July 2007
3. BOC Gases, Material Safety Data Sheet, MSDS: G-8 Revised: 6/7/96