Air Monitoring

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Air Monitoring
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Importance

• Over 7,000 people in the nine year span on 1996
  through 2005 have died due to dangerous gases.
• Thats averaging nearly 780 deaths per year due
  to these gases.
• Largely, accidents in construction related to
  hazardous gases in fact is because of oxygen
  deficient air

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Oxygen Deficiency

• Air is considered oxygen deficient when the
  partial volume is less than 19.5

• Normal Air Gas Content

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Contacting These Gases

• There are three major ways to harmfully come in
  contact with toxic fumes, or oxygen deficient air
  in some cases
• Ingestion
• By means of swallowing these fumes
• Inhalation
• Breathing in the gas
• Dermal Contact
• Gasses that can penetrate through the skin to
  harm you

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Sources of these Fumes

• Bleach and Chlorine
• Flea Treatment
• Hair Products
• Paint
• Kerosene
• Nail Product
• Shoe Polish
• Suntan Lotion
• Wax

• http//www.afewgoodbirds.com/fumes.html

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Sources Contd

• Typically, these fumes from these sources can be
  avoided from being overly hazardous if they are
  not found in confined spaces, or if proper
  ventilation is provided

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Case Studies

• Two backhoe operators and one surveyor drowned in
  3 feet of water at the bottom of a 20 ft deep
  trench
• Cause of the drowning was asphyxiation leading to
  unconsciousness due to high levels of CO2 and low
  levels of oxygen

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Case Studies

• Welder entered a 24 natural gas line to check
  the inside of his weld
• Did not know the pipe carried nitrogen gas,
  yielding in oxygen deficient air, and died of
  asphyxiation

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Case Studies

• Employee was instructed to fill a sewer that was
  out of service for 9 years with soil.
• He entered and died of asphyxiation, oxygen
  deficient air.

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Equipment

• Personal Sampling Pumps
• One method of inspecting the air in the work
  environment
• One Leading Manufacturer is SKC
• 200 Pocket Series (200 Pocket Pump / 222 Series)
  for Low Flow Pumps, 1L/min
• Aircheck Series, Airlite Pump, Universal Pump for
  Higher Flow Pumps, up to 5L/min
• Leland Legacy Pump, 15L/min

• SKC
• http//www.skcinc.com/pumps.asp

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Equipment

• Coated Filters
• One method of inspecting the air when chemicals
  are necessary for detection
• Pads come treated with chemicals ranging from
  bromine, chlorine, fluorides, nitrobenzene,
  sulfur dioxide, and many more
• SKC is a leading provider in Coated Filters as
  well

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References

• Dr. Jimmy Hinze
• Date-Descrip-1999-2004.xls
• SKC Sampling Technologies
• http//www.skcinc.com/index.asp
• Air Monitoring Senior.ppt