Are you aware of the dangers of Carbon Dioxide?
Recent incidents such as the tragic death of a worker in a factory in Seoul have highlighted how deadly carbon dioxide can actually be.
Carbon dioxide is present in the air we breathe, however, the level of concentration (0.037%) is low at this stage and is not harmful to our health.
It’s when the concentration starts to rise that CO2 becomes toxic and can cause a range of different side effects such as increased breathing rates, headaches, tinnitus and at worst asphyxiation. CO2 is a colourless and odourless gas which makes it difficult for people to see and smell the gas when present at higher concentrations.
Click on the table below to see the various stages that a person exposed to carbon dioxide can go through.
Info Source: http://www.analox.net/carbon-dioxide-dangers.php
As well as being an important greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide is also found in the food, oil and chemical industry. In the food industry, carbon dioxide is used as an additive and can be found in products such as yeast, baking powder and even popping candy. The candy is pressurised with carbon dioxide gas and releases the gas bubbles when dissolving in the mouth.
Another common use of CO2 is for extinguishing flames and can also be contained in some fire extinguishers suitable for electrical fires.
Drager Pac 8000 CO2 Gas Detector
The HSE reports on a number of incidents over the years which have occurred due to CO2 inhalation. This includes an incident in Germany which saw 15 tonnes if CO2 accidentally released from fire extinguishing installation due to failures of door seals. Although there no fatalities in this instance 107 people were intoxicated.
This is similar to a recent fatality in a factor in Seoul where a worker died after being exposed to carbon dioxide. The gas was accidentally released from the fire extinguishing system after it malfunctioned when falsely detecting a fire and caused the worker to asphyxiate.
Frontline Safety provides gas detection instruments which can detect levels of carbon dioxide. From single gas monitors to gas detection tubes, there are many options for detecting CO2.
The PAC 8000 from Drager offers a high level of reliability and offers a fast warning against harmful concentrations of CO2. It has an impact-resistant casing and meets requirements of IP68.
Enquiries about the PAC 8000 can be made through [email protected] or by calling us on 0141 771 7749. The instrument can also be purchased via the Frontline Safety website, here.
