Sykes Lab Carbon Monoxide Safety Guidelines
March 2012
If you feel any of the outlined symptoms or any CO alarm sounds
immediately:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Inform you lab mates
Shut off any source of CO
Evacuate the building
Contact TUPD
If possible, leave doors and windows open as you evacuate
Carbon Monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can be emitted by home
appliances and can cause illness and death. Even low levels of carbon monoxide
are associated with illness and have been shown to be particularly dangerous to
people with heart and lung disease, the elderly, pregnant women, unborn
children and children. Carbon monoxide poisoning produces flu-like symptoms,
headache, sore throat, racing heart, memory loss, thinking difficulty and
sensitivity to light, sound, smell, etc. Out of the 12,000 patients each year in the
US with flu-like symptoms, 2,000 of them are thought to actually be suffering
from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carbon monoxide poisoning: The science behind it
Carbon monoxide poisoning causes a range of symptoms while in the body and
blood stream. It can damage cells resulting in both short and long term
symptoms and effects.
Carbon monoxide gas is odorless, colorless, tasteless, non-irritating, and toxic to
humans and animals. It can cause serious damage while it is being breathed and
also in the days and weeks after being breathed.
Carbon monoxide displaces oxygen in the blood and starves cells of oxygen. It
also disrupts other processes in the body that can further damage, destroy,
and/or impact cellular functioning.
The amount of oxygen in blood is referred to as oxygen saturation. It is a
measurement of the percentage of the total number of oxygen carrying
"locations" in the blood that are actually carrying oxygen.
Arteries, which carry blood to cells, are usually 95%+ saturated with oxygen.
When oxygen saturation falls below 80%, cells do not receive enough oxygen to
continue to function normally. At 30% oxygen saturation, cells are dying.
Normally, oxygen binds with the hemoglobin (Hb) in red blood cells to form
oxyhemoglobin (O2Hb). It also dissolves in small amounts in the liquid
component of blood (plasma).
Carbon monoxide is particularly dangerous because the attraction (bond)
between carbon monoxide and hemoglobin is 240 times stronger than the
attraction (bond) between oxygen and hemoglobin.
When breathed, carbon monoxide reacts with hemoglobin (Hb) in red blood cells
and forms carboxyhemoglobin (COHb).
Carbon monoxide molecules are easily able to displace oxygen in the blood
causing oxygen saturation levels to drop fast. This means that even a small
amount of inhaled carbon monoxide is dangerous and can be fatal.
Lack of oxygen can quickly result in damage affecting the brain, nervous system,
heart, endocrine (regulatory) system, organ functioning, and can cause other
damage.
Even if normal oxygen (and saturation) is restored, damaged cells will continue
to die over the next few minutes, hours, days and weeks.
The brain does not regulate breathing based on the amount of oxygen in the
blood. It regulates breathing based on levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the blood.
A carbon monoxide poisoning victim can easily lose consciousness without
realizing that anything is wrong because the brain is unable to recognize that
oxygen levels are falling dangerously low.
Carbon monoxide poisoning has biochemical effects that are more complex and
serious than just oxygen deprivation alone. It also interferes with cellular
functioning by attaching itself to myoglobin and cytochrome enzymes.
Other areas of functioning are impacted and cause carbon monoxide poisoning:
 Disruption of a normal fixed ratio between oxygen, carbon monoxide and
nitric oxide in the body
 Damage to blood vessels
 Damage to the nervous system
 Immune system responses during recovery
In the weeks following exposure, damage to blood vessels and these other areas
of functioning can then cause damage to myelin, an important protein that coats
neurons. Myelin helps transmit signals more quickly within the nervous system
and brain. The damage to brain cells triggers the immune system, which then
responds by causing brain inflammation, which in turn causes [more] brain
damage.
This "biochemical domino effect" is what causes delayed symptoms and many of
the long term symptoms and effects suffered by victims of carbon monoxide
poisoning.
The amount of damage caused by carbon monoxide poisoning depends on many
factors including the levels of carbon monoxide in the air, the length of time it is
breathed, the level of physical activity while exposed, age, pre-existing health
conditions, and overall health.
If exposed to elevated levels of carbon monoxide, any person or animal will
develop symptoms as long as unsafe levels remain in the body/blood stream;
however, people respond differently to the same level of exposure.
The biochemical effects of carbon monoxide poisoning while in the body range
from mild to severe in people with the same level of exposure. The ongoing
symptoms and after effects can range from nothing to severe in people with the
same level of exposure.
Carbon
monoxide
PPM
0.2
9
10
30
35
70
150
200
400
800
1600
3200
6400
12,800
Time
8 hours
8 hours
1-4 hours
10-40 minutes
2-3 hours
1-2 hours
3 hours
45 minutes
2 hours
2-3hours
20 minutes
1 hour
5-10 Minutes
1 hour
1-2 minutes
25-30 minutes
1-3 minutes
Result
Natural level in air
US EPA (TWA) outdoor limit
Onset of recording Protech 8010
Lowest display for automatic readout detectors
Maximum exposure allowed by OSHA
Alarm sounds
Alarm sounds
Mild headache, fatigue, nausea, dizziness
Serious carbon monoxide headache, other symptoms
intensify
Life threatening
Dizziness, nausea, convulsions
Unconscious
Death
Headache, dizziness, nausea
Death
Headache, dizziness, nausea
Death
Headache, dizziness, nausea
Death
Death
Carbon monoxide is a flammable risk
FLASH POINT: −191 °C
LOWER FLAMMABLE LIMIT: >=12.5 % by volume
UPPER FLAMMABLE LIMIT: 74 % by volume
AUTOIGNITION: 600 °C
Carbon monoxide will form an explosive mixture in air.
Sources of CO in the Sykes lab.
Leakage from gas-line.
Ensure SNOOP is used when fitting any gas line.
Ensure gas lines are not damaged
Leakage from cylinder
Place the cylinder in an area that avoids items dropping upon it.
Ensure that the cylinder is attached to a solid object by gas straps at all times.
(If there are no straps tell Colin, they will be sourced.)
Ensure you have an understanding of all safety equipment in use in the lab.
Manuals are available in the N-drive safety folder for all CO alarms.
User/general lab info/lab safety/carbon monoxide
When using CO, pay attention to CO alarms. The Protech 8010 models will
display the current CO level at a lower level than the level, which causes alarms.
Type and placement of CO alarms in the Sykes lab.
Protech-8010
Automatic, continuous readout above 30 ppm
 Manually display current and peak levels from
10 to 500 ppm
 Mains powered only
 Tested weekly, records highest CO level over
the week.

Number
1
2
3
4
5
Location
P001 Quiet Room
P001 Sink/TPD Chamber
P001 Near White Board
P001A Near Fire Extinguisher
P001A Fume hood
First alert carbon monoxide alarm
1
2
Location
P001
P001A Near fire
extinguisher
 Mains powered with battery
back-up
 Electrochemical carbon
monoxide sensor
 Low battery warning and endof-life timer
 5 year limited warranty
 Read out in PPM
Kiddie Carbon Monoxide
Alarm
Located in the fume hood
Battery powered