Oxygen Depletion: What You Should Know and How to Prevent It

Introduction

Oxygen Depletion, also known as oxygen deficiency, is a serious safety issue that occurs when the oxygen concentration in an environment falls below the level necessary to sustain human life. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines an environment where oxygen levels fall below 19.5% as an oxygen-deficient atmosphere, which should be treated as immediately dangerous to health or life. Monitoring oxygen levels is critical for maintaining safety in various industrial and medical settings.

Understanding Oxygen Depletion

Oxygen depletion refers to the oxygen levels of 19.5% or less in an environment. There are no warning signs that one is breathing oxygen-deficient air. Inhaling just a few breaths of oxygen-depleted air poses significant health risks, including impaired cognition and coordination, rapid breathing, and, in extreme cases, loss of consciousness or death. Several factors contribute to oxygen depletion, including chemical reactions, combustion processes, and the displacement by inert gases such as nitrogen, argon, and helium.

Facilities that utilize cryogenic liquids for cooling or storage are at risk of rapid oxygen displacement in case of a leak. Many inert gases are colorless and odorless, making a gas leak impossible to detect. For installations in MRI or NMR Spectroscopy rooms or gas storage areas where cryogenic liquids are extensively stored or used, Environmental Health & Radiation Safety guidelines emphasize the importance of fixed air monitoring systems. Such measures protect against potential asphyxiant hazards in areas where cryogenic liquids such as nitrogen, helium, argon, and carbon dioxide are stored or used.

Detecting Low Oxygen Levels: Sensors, Alarms, and Technologies

Detecting low oxygen levels revolves around using advanced oxygen sensor technologies. Oxygen depletion meters or monitors utilize zirconium oxide sensors to gauge the oxygen concentration in the environment. These O2 sensors offer real-time measurements and will trigger audible and visual alerts when oxygen levels fall below safe thresholds, alerting personnel to take immediate action.

O2 deficiency monitors, including those developed by PureAire Monitoring Systems, play a critical role in safety by detecting these low oxygen conditions. The oxygen monitors alert employees before oxygen levels reach an unsafe level, allowing for timely evacuation or remedial action.

Government Regulations and Guidelines for Oxygen Monitoring

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides guidelines to ensure the safety of employees in workplaces where there may be a risk of oxygen deficiency.

According to OSHA guidelines, any environment with oxygen levels equal to or below 19.5% is considered immediately dangerous to life or health. This safety threshold highlights the need for consistent monitoring and prompt action in the face of potential oxygen depletion accidents.

Preventing Oxygen Depletion Risks

Proactive measures are essential to safeguard personnel from the hazards associated with oxygen depletion. Key strategies include:

1. Enhanced Ventilation: Proper airflow is critical to dilute and disperse potential oxygen-displacing gases. Designing workspaces to include efficient ventilation systems ensures a continuous supply of fresh air, thus maintaining oxygen levels within safe limits.
2. Continuous Monitoring Systems: The deployment of oxygen deficiency meters provides real-time surveillance of environmental conditions. These systems are integral for detecting irregularities in oxygen concentrations, offering crucial lead time for corrective action before reaching dangerous thresholds.
3. Compliance with Safety Standards: Adherence to OSHA guidelines is a regulatory requirement and a fundamental practice to ensure worker safety in confined spaces—areas particularly susceptible to oxygen depletion—with reliable oxygen deficiency monitors.

PureAire Oxygen Deficiency Monitors

Safety in the workplace is crucial, especially in environments where oxygen levels may be low due to processes or equipment.

PureAire Monitoring Systems’ line of Oxygen Deficiency Monitors offers reliable, accurate, comprehensive air monitoring solutions that require no scheduled maintenance or calibration, thus ensuring continuous protection against the threat of oxygen depletion. Built with zirconium oxide sensor cells to ensure longevity, PureAire’s O2 monitors can last trouble-free for over 10 years under normal operating conditions.

If oxygen levels decrease to an unsafe level, the Monitor will set off audible and visual alarms, alerting personnel to evacuate the area.

Best practice calls for oxygen monitors to be installed anywhere there is a risk of oxygen depletion. PureAire oxygen monitors measure oxygen 24/7, requiring no scheduled time-consuming maintenance or calibration.

Each PureAire O2 monitor has an easy-to-read screen, which displays current oxygen levels for at-a-glance readings by personnel, who derive peace of mind from the Monitor’s presence and reliability.

FAQs 

What is the oxygen depletion monitoring system?

Monitoring oxygen levels is crucial to ensure staff safety when low oxygen levels become a safety hazard. By continuously tracking the oxygen level in the air and providing early warnings of potential depletion risks, employers can protect their staff from harm due to oxygen deficiency.

How do O2 deficiency monitors work in detecting low oxygen conditions?

O2 deficiency monitors, such as PureAire Monitoring Systems’ Oxygen Deficiency Monitors, use zirconium oxide sensors to measure oxygen levels accurately. O2 monitors provide audible and visual alerts when levels drop below safe thresholds, ensuring a safe working environment where nitrogen gas or other factors may contribute to oxygen depletion.

What is the oxygen deficiency meter?

Several types of oxygen monitors are available, including zirconium oxide sensors and electrochemical sensors. Each type has specific uses in various environments. Electrochemical sensors are consumable sensors that deplete and need to be replaced every one to two years. These sensors do not offer long-term solutions to companies committed to safety.

Zirconium oxide sensors are long-lasting, 10+ years, and non-depleting. These sensors do not operate under partial pressure and do not drift due to changes in barometric pressure.

How can employers prevent risks associated with oxygen depletion?

Employers can prevent risks associated with oxygen depletion by ensuring adequate ventilation in areas where oxygen-depleting processes or equipment are used or stored. Additionally, implementing a monitoring system, such as an oxygen deficiency meter, and following OSHA guidelines for safe working conditions are essential prevention strategies.

What are the government regulations and guidelines for oxygen monitoring?

OSHA provides guidelines for oxygen monitoring to ensure staff safety in workplaces where oxygen deficiency may be a concern. Employers must follow these guidelines and government regulations to maintain a safe working environment and prevent risks associated with low oxygen levels.

What does PureAire Monitoring Systems offer to ensure staff safety in environments with potential oxygen depletion?

PureAire Monitoring Systems’ line of Oxygen Deficiency Monitors offers thorough air monitoring with no time-consuming maintenance or calibration required.

Our Monitor continuously tracks oxygen levels and, in the event of a gas leak and a drop in oxygen to an OSHA action level, will set off an alarm, complete with horns and flashing lights, alerting employees to evacuate the affected area.

 

Biorepository Safety

 

What is a Biorepository?

A biorepository, or "biobank",  is a specialized facility designed to store, archive, and distribute biological samples for research or clinical purposes. Biorepositories house biological samples, such as blood, plasma, urine, saliva, tissues, DNA, and organs, among other specimen types, collected from consenting individuals. Critical associated information, including relevant health information about the donor, is linked to the sample, given a unique identifier, and uploaded into a laboratory information management system. Scientists use samples stored in biorepositories to research diseases and develop new treatments, drugs, and vaccines, among other applications. Biorepositories provide secure environments that help ensure the integrity of the samples stored within, and allow researchers an efficient way to access the samples they need for their studies.

How are Biological Samples Stored?

Cryopreservation is the most commonly used method for freezing and storing biological samples.  This method most often uses liquid nitrogen (LN2) to achieve the ultra-low temperature necessary for cryopreservation, usually between -80°C and -196°C. Biorepositories use cryogenic freezers and LN2  to achieve and maintain the super-cold temperatures required for long-term sample storage.

Biorepositories must rely on a continuous supply of LN2 to ensure that samples stay fully frozen in order to preserve their integrity and usability. Liquid nitrogen is typically supplied through liquid nitrogen generators or bulk tanks located outside the facility, or from cryogenic cylinders or Dewar vessels located inside near the freezers.

Liquid Nitrogen Safety - Oxygen Monitors Can Reduce Risk

Cryopreservation ensures that the samples remain viable for future use. However, since LN2 is an oxygen-depleting gas that is both odorless and colorless, absent appropriate monitoring, biorepository personnel would be unable to detect a liquid nitrogen leak if one were to occur in a gas cylinder or supply line. When there is not enough oxygen in the air, persons working in the area can become disoriented, lose consciousness, or even suffocate from lack of oxygen. Additionally, a liquid nitrogen leak could lead to the loss of its super-cooling properties, causing the temperature to rise inside the freezer, possibly causing catastrophic damage to the biological samples.

As such, best practice calls for oxygen deficiency monitors to be installed anywhere there is a risk of nitrogen gas leaks. The National Institutes of Health’s Design Requirements Manual stipulates that, to warn of oxygen depletion, oxygen monitoring equipment is to be provided in freezer rooms and other rooms where cryogenic fluids (including liquid nitrogen) are supplied or stored.

PureAire Monitors

PureAire Monitoring Systems’ Oxygen Deficiency Monitors continuously track levels of oxygen and will detect liquid nitrogen leaks before freezer failure jeopardizes either the integrity of stored samples or employee health. Built with zirconium oxide sensor cells to ensure longevity, PureAire’s O2 Monitors can last, trouble-free, for over 10 years under normal operating conditions.  In the event of an LN2 gas leak, and a decrease in oxygen to an unsafe level, our Monitor will set off an alarm, complete with horns and flashing lights, alerting employees to evacuate the affected area.

The Oxygen Monitors should be placed wherever liquid nitrogen is stored, and in all rooms and areas where nitrogen is used.

PureAire Oxygen Monitors measure oxygen 24/7, with no time-consuming maintenance or calibration required.

Each PureAire O2 Monitor has an easy to read screen, which displays current oxygen levels, for at-a-glance readings by biorepository personnel, who derive peace of mind from the Monitor’s presence and reliability.

Protecting Against Oxygen Deficiency Risk

 

What is Oxygen Deficiency?

The air we breathe is made up of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and trace amounts of other gases such as carbon dioxide, neon, and hydrogen. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines an environment in which oxygen levels fall below 19.5% as an oxygen-deficient atmosphere, which should be treated as immediately dangerous to health or life.

How is Oxygen Deficiency Dangerous?

Oxygen deficiency is often called a silent killer, because there are no warning signs when oxygen concentrations drop to an unsafe level.

Inhaling just a few breaths of oxygen-deficient air can have immediate negative effects, which may include impaired coordination, accelerated respiration, elevated heart rate, nausea, vomiting, loss of consciousness, convulsions, or even suffocation due to a lack of sufficient oxygen.

Where can Oxygen Deficiency Occur?

Oxygen deficiency can occur in any location where compressed oxygen-depleting gases are used, stored, or may accumulate.

Industries that commonly use these types of gases include, but are not limited to, laboratories, MRI, food and beverage, cryogenic facilities, aerospace, pharmaceutical, research and development, alternative fuel, waste management, semiconductor, additive manufacturing, and the oil and gas sectors.

Manufacturers and other organizations utilizing compressed, oxygen-depleting gases in their operations need to successfully navigate complex working environments in which high concentrations of such gases may be critical to production procedures, but where the risks of oxygen deficiency may pose a potential safety hazard for their employees.

Fortunately, by utilizing a top-quality oxygen deficiency monitor, facility managers can maintain stringent processing requirements, as well as protect the health and safety of their personnel.

What is an Oxygen Deficiency Monitor?

An oxygen deficiency monitor is a device that measures oxygen levels in a particular area. By continuously tracking oxygen levels, oxygen deficiency monitors are designed to detect oxygen-depleting gas leaks before employee health is jeopardized.

A number of oxygen-depleting gases, including nitrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, and argon, among others, are both odorless and colorless. As such, unless they are using a reliable oxygen deficiency monitor, personnel working with such gases would likely be unable to detect a gas leak should one occur in a gas cylinder or line, and they could likewise be unaware that they were breathing oxygen-deficient air.

PureAire Oxygen Deficiency Monitors

    

PureAire Monitoring Systems’ line of Oxygen Deficiency Monitors offers thorough air monitoring, with no time-consuming maintenance or calibration required. An easy-to-read screen displays current oxygen levels for at-a-glance reading by employees, who derive peace of mind from the Monitor’s presence and reliable performance.

Our Monitor continuously tracks oxygen levels and, in the event of a gas leak and a drop in oxygen to an OSHA action level, will set off an alarm, complete with horns and flashing lights, alerting employees to evacuate the affected area.

The Monitor will remain accurate at temperatures as low as -40C. PureAire's durable, non-depleting, long-life zirconium oxide sensor will last for 10+ years in a normal environment without needing to be replaced.

To reduce risk to personnel, PureAire's optional Remote Digital Display may be placed well outside of high risk rooms (up to 250 feet from the Monitor itself), where it will safely exhibit oxygen levels inside the room.