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European Council Sets IAQ Standards for Poultry Farmers
Carbon Monoxide (CO) In Ice Rinks
If you or your children are an indoor ice skater or hockey player, you should be aware of the potential danger of indoor ice arenas resurfaced with gas-powered ice resurfacing machines like Zambonis.
Exhaust Fumes in a Enclosed Areas
Carbon monoxide fumes and micro-particles from Zamboni engine exhaust linger inside enclosed ice rinks, and can hurt those who inhale them. Unlike carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO) is potentially harmful at even small levels. OSHA limits carbon monoxide exposure to 25ppm both for short-term exposure limit (STEL) and time-weighted average (TWA) over an 8-hour workday.
With an ice resurfacing machine only running for a few minutes a day, it would seem like this is a small problem. Yet regular news articles appear across the country describing people in enclosed ice rinks being sent to the hospital with CO poisoning.
- As far back as 2002, the EPA issued an extensive report detailing the need for ice rink owners and managers to be acutely aware of the dangers of "Indoor Air Problems for Ice Arenas," such as what causes the problems, how CO and NO2 gases and particulate matter (PM) affects your health, and the "Action Steps of Ice Arena Owners and Managers."
- In 2009, ESPN ran a story titled "Study finds health hazards at rinks." The article stated that "In the past six months, nearly 200 people have been sickened by carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide or ultra-fine particles emitted from poorly maintained ice resurfaces at indoor ice arenas."
- In 2011, 61 people in Gunnison, Colorado were sent to the hospital with CO poisoning.
Long-term exposure can be harmful too. Former Ice Capades dancer Linda Davis was diagnosed with long-term carbon monoxide exposure in her 40s, after decades of ice time. She has lung damage, chronic memory problems, and must use a respirator.
One solution is for ice-rink owners to replace old gas-powered ice-resurfacing machines with newer electric ones. However, this can be a significant capital expense. A better solution would be for ice rink owners to voluntarily test the CO and NO2 levels with their current equipment, and take corrective action if necessary. For example, CO2Meter.com’s Carbon Monoxide CO Handheld Detector can quickly warn ice-rink owners, skaters, or ice-rink employees if CO reaches dangerous levels.
Ice-rinks could also choose a more permanent solution, the Carbon Monoxide (CO) Fixed Gas Detector w/ Remote Sensor (0-50ppm) is a wall mounted gas detection solution that has 3 configurable relays, connects to most BMS systems, and has audible and visual indicators to alert of an unsafe breathing environment.
Conclusion
Few states in the US have laws requiring carbon monoxide detectors in ice rinks, and OSHA air quality standards are “suggestions”, not requirements. For people who spend much of their time in an indoor ice arena, knowing the CO levels in the air around them is important for their health and safety. For questions on the right option for you, contact the experts at CO2Meter online or call 877.678.4259.
Compost & Soil Gas Testing: 3 Inexpensive Solutions
Most of us who live in the city think of soil as “dirt.” However, soil is actually a living environment of underground plants, animals, and microorganisms that, like humans, need food, water and oxygen to survive.
Soil gas testing is the process of measuring oxygen, carbon dioxide, methane, radon, and other gases in soil. For example, large-scale composters monitor the gases inside long, narrow piles of plant material and manure called wind-rows. The right combination of moisture, temperature, oxygen and CO2 is required to feed the aerobic microbes that turn the materials into compost. Alternatively, biologists measure CO2 or methane gassing from fields or wetlands for long term environmental studies.
To measure compost or soil gas testing, here are 3 inexpensive solutions. Each of them rely on the fact that soil is porous, and over time the gas inside the tube will match the atmosphere in the soil.
Gas Vapor Probe
Gas Vapor ProbeA Gas Vapor Probe provides the most scientific method for measuring soil gases. While you can purchase $2,500-$4,500 professional kits with an electric bore-hole drill that will reach virtually any depth, this $350 hand-held probe from AMS provides an inexpensive solution for shallow soil or compost pile testing. Either of these probes will work with our CO2+CH4 Sampling Data Logger or our CO2 Sampling Data Logger for soil gas testing. the built-in sampling pump will evacuate the tubing after a few seconds, and you can get an accurate measurement of the soil gas levels at the probe tip.
Permanent Sampling Holes
Permanent Sampling HolesFor clients who need to monitor several soil gas stations over time, an inexpensive solution is to build your own monitoring station with PVC pipe. This station can be built for about $40 in parts. After the sampling hole is dug to the desired depth, a capped PVC pipe with a Locking Vapor Extraction Plug mounted to the top provides a low-cost, permanent station. With the vapor plug, you will not contaminate the gas inside the pipe with outdoor air. When you are ready to take a sample, attach the tubing, open the air lock, and take a reading with any of our hand-held sampling meters.
Shallow Sampling Container
Shallow Sampling ContainerFor long-term data logging in shallow soil, you can use a 1% CO2 Data Logger mounted under a leak-proof container. Dig a hole to the desired depth, mount the data logger inside the container using double-sided Velcro, and bury the container in the hole securely. The 1% CO2 Data Logger with 6,000mAh Li-Ion batteries and the optional hydrophobic filter kit can record CO2, temperature and %RH levels for up to 6 months on a single charge.
Measuring CO2 in Exhaled Breath to Help Save Lives
Capnography is the measuring and monitoring of the carbon dioxide levels in exhaled breath. In healthy individuals, the difference between the CO2 exhaled and CO2 levels in arterial blood are proportional. Therefore, by monitoring the waveform of CO2 levels on a capnogram (an electronic capnography monitor) over time, medical personnel like anesthesiologists or paramedics can use the information to monitor a patient. Sudden changes in end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2, the level of carbon dioxide released at the end of expiration) may signify changes in a patient’s heart or lung functions.
Non-dispersive infra-red (NDIR) CO2 sensors are at the heart of virtually every capnogram. Their small size and relatively fast response time make them perfect for portable devices.
For example, our SprintIR 20Hz CO2 sensor has set a new benchmark as the fastest, most accurate CO2 sensor on the market. Capable of taking up to 20 readings per second, it is up to 10 times as fast as competing products. Medical equipment manufacturers worldwide are evaluating this sensor to use in their next generation of products.
And while capno-grams are used by anesthesiologists and EMS personnel today, even more exciting uses as clinical evaluation tools are being tested. Capnography may help to test for asthma, heart failure, diabetes, and more.
