The Dangers Behind the Use of APAR Carbon Dioxide CO²

APAR (Light Fire Extinguisher) type Carbon Dioxide (CO²) is a fire extinguisher that uses carbon dioxide as an extinguisher. This type of extinguisher is usually used for areas where there is electronic equipment so that the equipment is not damaged, such as laboratory instruments, servers, computers, etc.

Behind its effectiveness in the initial fire suppression process in the classification of fires for liquid chemical materials & flammable gases such as diesel, kerosene, gasoline, alcohol and electrical current-driven equipment. Generally, the primary health hazards caused by carbon dioxide gas are shortness of breath, kidney or coma damage, and frostbite.

Breathless is caused by the release of carbon dioxide in a limited or minimal area of air. This can reduce the concentration of oxygen which is harmful to health. Kidney damage or coma is caused by disruption of the chemical buffer carbonate balance. When carbon dioxide concentrations increase or decrease, causing equilibrium to be disturbed, life-threatening situations can occur. Also, contact with solid carbon dioxide for more than one or two seconds without proper protection can cause serious blisters and frostbite, which is what users of the CO² type APAR may rarely know.

Frostbite occurs when the skin tissue along with the underlying body tissue freezes. The skin becomes very cold, stiff, hard and pale even if it occurs in a longer duration can cause the skin to blister and peel. In the journal issue of ELSEVIER "a reason careful about frostbite injury: Carbon dioxide fire extinguisher failure" (Cihan Sahin, 2012) described a case of work accident caused by a gas leak around the CO² APAR tube valve, a man suffered injuries to his right hand due to being contaminated with CO² gas that leaked during a fire fighting process. Shortly after being contaminated with CO² gas, his right hand felt cold and numb, but after a while, the pain began to appear and his hands were blistered.

There is information in the medical literature about emergency treatment for carbon dioxide in frostbite injuries. The first step in treatment is to eliminate CO² contamination in patients by minimizing the duration of exposure. In contrast to burns, in this case, the CO² compound will continue to "burn" until the substance is used up or removed. In first aid treatment, carbon dioxide that contaminates the skin must be immediately washed using mild detergent or soap and water. Contaminated clothing must be removed and washed before reuse. For frostbite, rewarming (warming) is recommended directly in the tub using 42ºC sterile water.

Prevention is the best strategy to reduce the occurrence of cases of frostbite. The first step is to increase public and professional awareness in health care for the risk of this injury. Besides, some of these injuries can be prevented by taking adequate precautions such as checking the type of CO² fire extinguisher before it is used and using appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) in the extinguishing process. The second step is to use a fire extinguisher that is safe and does not cause great danger. Like APAR which uses wet chemical extinguisher which does not affect if exposed to limbs because it is very safe for humans and your electronic devices. This type of fire extinguisher can be found in our store, so you don't need to worry and be confused to find a good safety tool and safe to use.

You can see our products on the product page (RANGE GUARD) for APAR or Tokopedia PT Sealan Pratama JKT (official PT Sealan Pratama Indonesia account).

source: The Danger of APAR CO²