Dry Ice –Carbon Dioxide: Where is it being used and how to handle safely?

Carbon dioxide, in its solid form, is colder than ice. It is so cold, in fact, that handling it without protection can cause frostbite. It does not melt, but instead dissipates into a gas that can be dangerous to breathe. This substance is called dry ice, and, when handled properly, has many useful applications.

The most practical use of dry ice is to keep things cold. It can be used to flash freeze anything from biological samples to ice cream. It does not alter the taste of food, but alternatively keeps the fats in food from becoming rancid and preserves flavor over time. When transporting perishable items, even medications, dry ice can be used to insure freshness. With safety precautions, it can be used to ship food in packages, and even be brought on an airplane.

Another common use of dry ice is to create ‘fog’. This can be done for a special effect in a movie, or even in a haunted house or nightclub. When a piece of dry ice is placed in water, sublimation is accelerated. This is the process from which a chemical in a solid state skips over the liquid stage and turns directly into a gas. For dry ice, this process occurs more rapidly in water, allowing a dense cloud of fog to dramatically fill a room. Since carbon dioxide is heavier than air, the fog will stay low to the ground, providing an eerie special effect.

Dry ice may sound enticing, and can even be obtained from your local grocery store, however, it is important to remember to follow safety precautions before and during the handling of this powerful substance. The first thing to consider is how you are going to transport and store the dry ice. It is very important to wear protective gloves while picking up dry ice. It is so cold than it can cause frostbite upon contact. If you will be driving with a large quantity of dry ice, make sure to have your windows down to allow a flow of air so carbon dioxide does not build up inside your car. Also, store dry ice in a cooler so it lasts longer, but make sure it is not airtight so it does not explode under pressure from the sublimation.

As dry ice sublimates and creates ‘fog’, it is slowly filling the room with carbon dioxide. This is not a gas you want to breathe in large quantities. It can replace the oxygen in a room, causing illness and suffocation, so it is very important to have good ventilation in any area in which you are storing or using dry ice. Since carbon dioxide is colorless and odorless, it can be easy not to realize you are having a ventilation problem till it is too late. The absolute safest way to use dry ice is with the use of an OXYGEN METER.

An oxygen meter tests the air in the room to make sure it is safe to breathe. PureAire Monitoring Systems makes an oxygen monitor for just this purpose, and with its 10+ year sensor, it is a smart choice to purchase if you are regularly using dry ice. Chemicals can be useful, and even necessary, to get a job done. It is important to use them safely and correctly to prevent injury, and even death. If the oxygen meter alarm goes off, you are able to evacuate the area before any long term ill effects take place. When using dry ice, remember to have fun, but first and foremost, say safe.

For more information on the PureAire Oxygen Monitor, contact PureAire Monitoring Systems, Inc., 557 Capital Drive, Lake Zurich, Illinois 60047; Phone - (888) 788-8050, Fax - (847) 726-6051.
Find us on the web at www.PureAireMonitoring.com, and www.MonitorOxygen.com.

Long Lasting Safety with PureAire Monitoring Systems’ 10+ year sensors

When it comes to oxygen deficiency monitors, PureAire makes the longest lasting units on the market. They believe your safety should not be taken lightly, and have created a reliable and affordable monitor that will outlast all of their competitors. PureAire Monitoring Systems has broken away from the norm of using disposable sensor cells, and has introduced the groundbreaking technology of a 10+ year maintenance free sensor.

Disposable sensor cells have been an international standard in oxygen monitors for decades, but they are far from ideal. They require frequent maintenance and monthly to quarterly calibration, which can be costly. Without calibration, false alarms will occur, or worse, a failure to alarm in the event of oxygen deficiency. The reliability of these disposable sensors can even be affected by changes in barometric pressure.

PureAire Monitoring Systems has come up with a unique product to solve these problems. Their oxygen deficiency monitors include a Zirconium Oxide sensor, which lasts for 10+ years. This sensor is not affected by barometric pressure, and never needs to be recalibrated. This means that it will continue working without flaw toward keeping you safe over many years.


With over 4,000 units in the field, PureAire’s oxygen deficiency monitors continue to gain popularity and support amongst its users. No maintenance means no hassle, and more time to focus on your work while continuing to stay safe.

For more information on the PureAire Oxygen Monitor, contact PureAire Monitoring Systems, Inc., 557 Capital Drive, Lake Zurich, Illinois 60047; phone 888-788-8050, fax 847-726-6051, or contact us via contact form. You may also visit the company’s website at www.PureAireMonitoring.com, and www.MonitorOxygen.com.

About PureAire Monitoring Systems:

PureAire offers an unbeatable combination of innovation and experience in solving safety and environmental needs of their customers. As a manufacturer, they are capable of handling any size project, which includes working with OEMs and distributors.

PureAire’s proprietary sensor cell technology and leading edge electronics are designed to interface with the latest distributive control systems.

Beginning in 1996, their growth has been a result of their total commitment to supporting their customers. PureAire’s goal is to provide the best service and support in the industry. Safety is their number one priority.

Oxygen Monitors to be Required in Denver County Regarding Use of Nitrogen, Helium, and Argon

There is no question that working with inert gasses can be a useful but dangerous practice. Ideally, there should be an oxygen deficiency monitor in your facility to make sure the air is safe to breathe in case of a gas leak. If your facility is in Denver County, and you don’t yet have an oxygen monitor, be prepared to purchase one. The Denver Fire Department is currently writing a law that makes O2 monitors mandatory in areas containing inert gasses (Nitrogen, Argon, and Helium).

Inert gasses are also referred to as asphyxiating gasses. This means that as they leak, they deplete the oxygen in the surrounding area, causing people nearby to suffocate. An oxygen deficiency monitor tests the air around the tank, or where the gas is being used, to assure that oxygen is maintained at a breathable level. If the oxygen level drops, an alarm sounds, allowing people to evacuate before they asphyxiate. This danger is why the Denver Fire Department is requiring oxygen monitors around the use of inert gasses. As of April 2014, a draft of the law is awaiting approval and will be implemented in the near future.

Currently in New York City, a law requiring oxygen monitors in the presence of inert or cryogenic gasses is already in place. The Denver law is being modeled after this, requiring a monitor for gas amounts that reach or exceed 100 lbs or 60 gallons. This quantity of gas will also require a permit from the fire department.

In order to comply with this new law, facilities using inert gas will have to seek out an oxygen monitor on their own. PureAire Monitoring Systems makes and sells the best O2 monitor on the market. While other companies’ monitors require yearly maintenance, PureAire’s monitor has a censor that lasts for 10+ years. This means that you can install and go about your business and not need to worry about recalibrating. PureAire has been dedicated to your safety since 1997, and is committed to helping you through this transition.

For more information on the PureAire Oxygen Monitoring System, contact PureAire Monitoring Systems, Inc., 557 Capital Drive, Lake Zurich, IL 60047; phone 888-788-8050 or 847-726-6000; fax 847-726-6051; or email info@pureaire.net. You may also visit the company’s website at www.Pureairemonitoring.com.

Cryotherapy is Cool

Cryotherapy is a real facet of medical treatment that uses extremely low temperatures to help with pain and inflammation. Not to be confused with cryopreservation, in cryotherapy the patients are only subjected to the cold for minutes. It seems like something futuristic, but it is actually an increasingly common treatment among athletes to replace ice baths and ice pack therapies.

More specifically, cryogenic chamber therapy, or Whole Body Cryotherapy (WBC), uses liquid nitrogen to cool a chamber to around -185oF. The patient spends a few minutes in the chamber wearing only a bathing suit, socks, gloves and facial protection (to prevent frostbite), allowing the skin temperature to drop while the core body temperature remains stable. This WBC treatment improves many types of muscle and joint pain and helps in the rehabilitation of injuries.

These cryotherapy systems are currently being used by sports teams such as the San Antonio Spurs, the LA Clippers, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, just to name a few. Everyone from Olympians, to rugby players, to non-athletes looking for pain relief utilize WBC. The super cooling power of liquid nitrogen can be a blessing to those in pain, but precautions need to be taken to assure this tricky chemical remains safe. In the event of a liquid nitrogen leak, the patient could suffocate from lack of breathable air. This is why an Oxygen Deficiency Monitor is important to have in any facility that uses liquid nitrogen.

PureAire Monitoring Systems provides a product that would be ideal for this type of application. Their Oxygen Deficiency Monitor that uses a sample draw system is one of the best in the industry, and can be hooked into an alarm or horn and strobe to alert the chamber operator and patients in case of a leak. The oxygen monitor can even be programmed to turn off the nitrogen tanks in the event of a leak in the system.

The O2 monitor would be situated outside the chamber. Through a tube, air samples from inside the chamber would be analyzed to make sure the oxygen level remains at a safe and breathable 20.9%. Any nitrogen leak would reduce the percent of oxygen and trigger an alarm. Because the oxygen deficiency monitor’s sensor lasts at least 10 years without maintenance, safety is guaranteed for many years to come. Cryogenic chamber therapy has the potential to help many people treat their pain, and with the use of an oxygen monitor, they can do so safely.

For more information, please visit our web site at: www.PureAireMonitoring.com, or www.MonitorOxygen.com. If you have any questions, we’d love to speak with you. Call us at: 1-888-788-8050

About PureAire Monitoring Systems, Inc.
PureAire is the industry leader in gas monitoring solutions enabling organizations to ensure safe work environments, minimize compliance risk, and reduce associated costs. Over 1,000 organizations across the globe use PureAire gas monitoring solutions. Beginning in 1996, PureAire’s growth has been a result of an unbeatable combination of innovation and experience in solving safety and environmental needs for customers, as well as a total commitment to supporting the customer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Helium and MRI Rooms Around the World

Helium gas is something most people feel fairly familiar with. Children are enthralled with the magical beauty of a floating balloon, watching it reach toward the sky and hoping not to lose their grip on the string. Helium feels safe, and while people surround themselves with flying wonders filled with this lightweight gas, the real magic of helium is taking place in MRI rooms across the globe. With this magic, though, comes some danger.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) uses strong magnetic fields to surround the part of the body needing to be studied. The resulting images are important for diagnosis and further understanding of a problem, but it is equally important that the procedure be safe and controlled. In the process of using the MRI machine, the magnet becomes superheated, and this heat needs to be kept in check. Liquid helium, at a temperature of -450° F, surrounds the magnet and keeps it cool enough to remedy the danger of overheating, in turn posing its own risk.

A Helium leak would displace the oxygen in a room, suffocating anyone inside. Because it is colorless and odorless, an oxygen deficiency monitor is required for detection. A person closed inside the room would not notice the leak on their own, and it would be too late. In the event of a helium leak, an O2 monitor would sound at the first detection of oxygen displacement, warning anyone inside the room of the danger and allowing them to evacuate in plenty of time.

Since the 1980’s, the number of MRI machines in use has risen from 12 to over 25,000. This in turn makes MRI machines the #1 users of liquid helium in the world. The relationship between the hot magnets and the cold helium is what makes the work of this important machine possible. With the use of an oxygen deficiency monitor, doctors and patients at least have one less thing to worry about. They can focus on the physical ailment at hand, and feel safe in knowing that in the event of a helium leak, they will be warned well before the point of suffocation.

Oxygen Deficiency monitors are recommended in all MRI facilities, and are REQUIRED in all New York City MRI rooms. PureAire Monitoring System’s oxygen monitors are a trusted product amongst MRI designers and users, thanks to their 10 + year oxygen sensor. Unlike the competitors, PureAire’s sensors do not require maintenance or replacement parts and are not impacted by environmental drift. This means no false alarms or failures due to depleted sensors. Without having a yearly service call on the monitor, the cost is very efficient. This translates to prolonged safety without maintenance, and the safest and most reliable possible monitor for this application.

“Thanks again for your support. The oxygen monitors are in their respective locations and are functioning as designed. Nice unit! Everyone thinks they are a great product. The software menu is easy to use and could not be easier to operate.” - Dominion Nuclear

“The O2 monitors are working well and doing a great job! Alarm relays are configured with the exhaust fan and is triggered a couple of times a day if we have cryogenic bottles in the area. Excellent product, repeatable, and reliable as advertised.” - Gulfstream Aerospace
For more information, please visit our web site at: www.PureAireMonitoring.com, or www.MonitorOxygen.com.

If you have any questions, we’d love to speak with you. Call us at: 1-888-788-8050

About PureAire Monitoring Systems, Inc.
PureAire is the industry leader in gas monitoring solutions enabling organizations to ensure safe work environments, minimize compliance risk, and reduce associated costs. Over 1,000 organizations across the globe use PureAire gas monitoring solutions. Beginning in 1996, PureAire’s growth has been a result of an unbeatable combination of innovation and experience in solving safety and environmental needs for customers, as well as a total commitment to supporting the customer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

1) Air Products. (1997). MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET. http://avogadro.chem.iastate.edu/MSDS/helium.pdf

PureAire Releases Universal Toxic Gas Monitor

PureAire Monitoring Systems manufactures and distributes toxic gas monitors for safety, and as of August 2013, releases new toxic gas monitor called the Universal Toxic Gas Monitor. Their monitors make sure areas where toxic gases exist the area remains at a safe and breathable level, some gasses included are chlorine, bromine, HCL, HF, ammonia, toxics, and hydrides. These gases, commonly known as toxic gases, can be hazardous or even deadly if used without the proper safety precautions. Typical areas where these gases are used include laboratories, pharmaceutical manufacturing plants, cryopreservation facilities, semiconductors, and cold food storage. The addition this product line insures PureAire’s products are the premium choice for your safety. Since their beginnings in 1997, PureAire has sold many thousands of toxic gas monitors to customers including (Northwestern University, Exxon Mobil, and NASA) and laboratories (Intel, Los Alamos National Labs, USDA). A release of toxic gases in a confined space can cause irritation, permanent damage, and even hospitalization making it direly important that every space with human occupancy be monitored. Though these gases can be highly dangerous, their universal gas monitors allow groundbreaking research to be done with the ease of knowing any leak will be immediately detected. PureAire Monitoring Systems provide the #1 universal toxic gas monitor in the industry. With a renewable sensor lasting 7+ years, no competitor can offer the same longevity or reliability. The universal gas monitor has a built in audible alarm, 2 user-selectable relays for signals to external fans/horns/strobes, and a 4-20 mA signal. The introduction of the universal gas monitor provides a newer easier solution for the customer. Still used is the STX-PA Smart Gas Transmitter, though PureAire is predicting the universal gas monitor will take the STX-PA’s place. Manufactured in the USA, there is no question they are the unparalleled company to go to for your toxic gas monitor safety needs. The STX-PA has been sold since PureAire started in 1997 along with there 4-20mA version Aircheck Lite, also trying to be replaced by the universal toxic monitor. As with most technology, a newer updated version of a product is necessary. While the universal monitor has many of the same functions as the STX-PA this product offers more. Integrated is software enabling the customer to change the sensors by a simple plug and play. If the customer has testing which requires using HF for a few days but needs to switch to chlorine for another experiment, he/she can simply unplug the HF sensor and replace with chlorine in matter of seconds. The STX-PA would also have capabilities of switching sensors, though sending in the monitor PureAire had to take place in order to switch. In addition to many more features listed for the universal monitor, now there is a considerable louder 90 dB audible alarm. Lastly, pricing is much more competitive starting at $1,390 for a complete system compared to a starting price of $1,990. For more information on the PureAire Oxygen Monitoring System, contact PureAire Monitoring Systems, Inc., 557 Capital Drive, Lake Zurich, IL 60047; phone 888-788-8050 or 847-726-6000; fax 847-726-6051; or email info@pureaire.net. You may also visit the company’s website at www.Pureairemonitoring.com.

Liquid Nitrogen in Human Oocyte Cryopreservation

The word cryopreservation sounds like something from a science fiction movie. Maybe a man from the past was frozen in time, only to reawaken decades later, unharmed and unaware that he had been frozen at all. Though this scenario seems far-fetched, on a smaller scale, cryopreservation is a commonplace practice in the 21st century. While a grown man cannot be frozen and awoken, the building blocks of man are fair game. Human oocyte cryopreservation, or egg freezing, is a way to freeze and preserve a woman’s eggs. At a later time, these eggs can be thawed and fertilized and used to impregnate the woman. There are many reasons a woman may be a candidate for this procedure. Some of these reasons are age, early menopause, and pre chemotherapy or radiation therapy, which may damage eggs left in the body. In any case, if a woman learns that she will be unable to produce healthy, viable eggs in her future, oocyte cryopreservation is a good option to ensure she has healthy eggs if she decides to try conceiving at a future time. Semen and embryos can also be treated and cryopreserved in a similar way. These specimens can remain frozen for a long period of time. Embryos can be stored for up to 16 years, and semen as long as 22 years. This allows someone who is going through an illness or separation from a spouse to wait until a more viable time for implantation for conception. Most people can easily understand the concept of freezing something to save for later, but the frozen eggs are not stored in your average icebox. Instead, liquid nitrogen freezes the eggs at −321 Fareignheight. This temperature is considered a deep freeze. With the addition of a cryoprotectant to deter ice crystals from forming, the specimens remain in the deep freeze until they are thawed for later use. Amazingly, over 500,000 live human births have been a result of such technologies. There are over 400 facilities nationwide that can provide the oocyte cryopreservation procedure to women in need. On the patients end, the facilities seem like ordinary doctors offices, but the real magic takes place behind closed doors. The scientists and lab technicians use liquid nitrogen to conduct the deep-freezing, which can be very toxic if not used correctly. They rely on oxygen deficiency monitors to detect any lower than average levels of oxygen in the vicinity, which may indicate a nitrogen leak. For the whole sequence to go off without a hitch, the scientists need to remain confident in their safety throughout the process. Pureaire Oxygen Monitoring Systems has created the perfect product to ensure such safety. Their O2 monitor is the best in the industry. The zirconium oxide sensor in the monitor lasts 10+ years with no maintenance or recalibration, making the product last longer than any other. This makes the monitor very cost effective, as it does not require additional purchases on a yearly basis. Also, the monitor’s ability to link to an alarm system, horn and strobe, and exhaust fan help warn people across a facility to evacuate an unsafe area. There is no question that today’s scientific technologies are impressive, yet ever evolving. As a company, Pureaire Oxygen Monitoring Systems vows to support these growing technologies by keeping researchers safe and giving them the confidence to do their job creating families of the future. For more information on the PureAire Oxygen Monitoring System, contact PureAire Monitoring Systems, Inc., 557 Capital Drive, Lake Zurich, IL 60047; phone 888-788-8050 or 847-726-6000; fax 847-726-6051; or email info@pureaire.net. You may also visit the company’s website at www.Pureairemonitoring.com.