carbon monoxide in tanks - cozumel

[augustib]

I actually got a reply to the message I sent the Op asking for more information. See this post

First it is great to get confirmation that the first injured diver was ok. This has been unconfirmed until this posting.

Also, the response sounds correct. I did notice that following day they weren't using Dive Palancar tanks... and per this response they acknowledge they are using one of the two fill stations down-town. It does sound like they responded appropriately to the incident by shutting down the compressor (which was 3 weeks ago, and it appears to still be shut down). It is also noteworthy that he says "the person WHO USE to fill up the tanks changed the filters every 50 hours..." I guess he no longer fills the tanks... both are good indications something was grossly wrong with the gas mix.

I wont pretend to know how compressors work, but I'm guessing this is probable a mechanical failure with the filling system and not careless parking of vehicles. The fill room is not in a location with any proximity to vehicle traffic/parking, combined with fact the compressor still appears to be shut-down after 3 weeks.

 

[DandyDon]

Ok I don't remember where I heard that a truck might have been parked at the intake? Yes, it could have been an internal problem as those filters only clean incoming air, not outgoing air. And yeah it was great to hear that no one died. I dived with Dive Palancar on my first trip to Coz in Jan 2002 I think but all I remember really was nice boat.

I did reply to the email with these questions...

1: Were the tanks air tested? By whom? Findings?

2: Was a truck parked near the compressor air intake? What has been done to resolve that?

3: Do you use Analox inline Carbon Monoxide monitors on your compressors?

Edit: I got this reply...

Good morning. Until now, the tanks hasn't been tested, because here in the island we coudn't find a person who could do it. The compressor machines are in an isolated area, away from any vehicle, fuel, or possible contamination. As I told you, since that day we are not using our compressor machines, and a technician from the mainland has been working deeply in the whole system. We are renting tanks from a company at downtown. Now I am checking with several companies in the web, different kinds of analizers so we can purchase one and install it in our machine. Thank you for your concern.

Gawd, they don't know where to get air tested.

So it was not the truck story I had in mind.

I'm going to suggest he call Patti at Analox...

 

[jd950]

Ok I don't remember where I heard that a truck might have been parked at the intake?

I think you probably read that on the CozumelMyCozumel thread where someone said they spoke to a Dr. who had treated one or more of the injured (probably Dr. Piccolo?) and the doctor had said it was due to a truck parked near the compressor.

I appreciate the reply you received, but something still doesn't sound quite right and if they don't know what caused the problem, one assumes they cannot address the problem.

Eventually I imagine they will go back to their own gas.

 

[redacted]

The good news is they are talking about installing a monitor on their compressor. That tells me they are fairly sure what the problem was and they are going to take the right (precedent setting) response. I'll make a point at looking at their monitor next time I stay there (with the monitor, I'm sure I will be).

Unless the main facility responds in kind, this could actually end up improving business for Dive Palancar and the 2 resorts they support.

 

[DandyDon]

This is what I sent...

Ok I don't know where I got the truck story. It sounds like a compressor issue, which is why it is important to operate all scuba compressors with inline Carbon Monoxide monitors & auto shut off, available from Homepage: Analox - Looking after the air you breathe. for about $1,000 USD including additional equipment needed. I guess you were not using one....?

PADI requires quarterly air sample checks be sent to a qualified testing company. If you have not been doing this, you can contact them for how to obtain sampling supplies and where to send.

Patti at Analox can help with testing I think, as well as needed equipment. Call her in the US at (714) 891 4478 or email her at patti.clarkson@analox.biz

DAN can help, and CEO Dan Orr is aware of this incident. Call him.

I am going to forward copies of this email to Pattie and Dan in hopes it will help get things done...

 

[Scared Silly]

Correction - PADI NO LONGER requires quarterly air sample.

Source Barry Dunford - PADI Northwest Director

 

[swamp diver]

Correction - PADI NO LONGER requires quarterly air sample.

I spoke with Roger Joslyn, the PADI QA rep in California, about 3 years ago and he said that PADI requires all its Canadian and US shops and resorts to do quarterly tests, but that there was no enforcement of the policy. I do know that when there was a bad air incident in Vancouver a few years back PADI did have a sudden change of heart and required all the local shops to have current air quality certificates. When the court case blew over the enforcement ended.

Outside of these two countries PADI did require quarterly tests be sent to head office in California for the first year of a 5 star resort's operation. This requirement did not apply to PADI regular resorts although there was a guideline that the 5 star resorts test their air quality quarterly and keep the tests "on file".

Are you saying they no longer require the quarterly tests to be kept on file for Canadian and US PADI affiliated resorts and shops? If so this would be a major step backwards much like a municipality saying there were going to no longer require regular testing of fecal E. Coli bacterial counts in the drinking water.

 

[DandyDon]

Correction - PADI NO LONGER requires quarterly air sample.

This Padi.com info doesn't say that they are required, does it? From Benefits (PADI Canada Region)

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And EPA.com says no longer. From http://www.epa.gov/region10/pdf/dive_team/dt_divers_how_clean_is_your_air_dec09.pdf

How often must compressor air be tested?

OSHA defines minimum compressor testing frequency for commercial operations as once every 6 months (29 CFR 1910.430(b)). NOAA and EPA also require testing at least every six months for their compressors. PADI “five star” training centers used to require tests for their air on a quarterly basis, but no longer. PADI, while requiring CGA grade E air from their shops, is leaving the testing frequency up to the shop and local governing authorities—ironically in most cases there are no such regulations outside of OSHA requirements for commercial dive operations (Personal communication with Jeff Nadler, PADI 2009)

Are all the dive shops you may come across testing their air?

The short answer is an emphatic “NO.” The EPA Region 10 unit sometimes dives the same locations multiple times, but just as often we travel to a new site; typically this means using a new dive shop that we are unfamiliar with. Dive shops throughout Region 10—Oregon, Idaho, Washington, and Alaska -- like the rest of the U.S., have fallen on hard times due to the economic downturn. Shops are closing right and left, and those that are surviving are making hard choices with their bottom line which can impact your safety.

Here are some quotes in cold-calling separate dive shops that might have been used just during the EPA Region 10 2009 operational window for SCUBA tank air/nitrox fills:

“Yes, we meet CGA grade E air except for the CO2 reading, which I admit is a little high.”

“I don’t remember when we did our last air test. It was at least a year ago.”

“Our last air test was seven years ago. We would be happy to do another one if you are willing to pay for the cost of testing.”

“We did our air test regularly up to last year when we stopped. We decided that since the results were always the same, there was no reason to continue with the regular testing.”

(Personal communications, EPA Region 10 divers and various dive shops, 2009).

In the case of the shop with the high carbon dioxide reading and all the shops above without a current test, they were still filling SCUBA bottles. Would the high CO2 have caused DCI-like symptoms - e.g., headache and confused diagnosis following a deep scientific dive? – maybe. In the case of the last quote in the list above, EPA divers noted that the compressor station area had been recently remodeled, the intake moved, and a charcoal grill located near the compressor building, if not the intake itself. This was a dive shop that had emphatically told me that the air used to fill their cylinders was tested regularly. In the end, they were grateful I had asked so that they could ensure that testing occurred in the future. What all of these responses highlight is that you can’t count on an unfamiliar shop testing their air in all instances. This also goes to show that a shop you have used for years might stop air purity testing without informing their customers.

So, I need to stop saying that that they do require it. Quarterly air tests didn't mean much anyway, since they surely change their filters right before testing, test from a compressor not overheated, etc. I'm going to keep with my own tank by tank testing, as well as put my money with my mouth yet again acquiring a second analyzer from Analox when they introduce theirs.

What about planning dives before Analox can get theirs out...?

Either go with the set up Swamdiver suggested, as it does sound good in the long haul; or

Get the cheaper Pocket CO for now, and the Analox next like me...​

If you want to dive safe air for sure.

 

[swamp diver]

Yes, it could have been an internal problem as those filters only clean incoming air, not outgoing air.

Don actually there is no purification of incoming air except for the 10 to 20 micron filter inlet filter which will remove dust, some larger air particulates, and large pollen spores.

Compressed air is filtered by the purifier only after it is compressed where it is dried by the desiccant and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are removed by the activated charcoal bed.

Normally in Canada and the US there would also be a catalyst bed also after the desiccant which is manganese and copper oxides used to convert toxic CO to less dangerous carbon dioxide (CO2).

The big question is whether or not the resort was running a filter cartridge which had catalyst commonly known as "hopcalite" or "monoxycon" in it. This adds significantly to the cost of the cartridge and many operators falsely believe that if they are not running the compressor with an internal combustion engine they don't need a catalyst bed. They will purchase the cheaper cartridge with only desiccant and activated charcoal. Recall in the Maldives incident they were using an IC engine to power the compressor and they did not have the catalyst bed in the purifier.

A catalyst bed should always be installed in order to protect the diver from any CO entrained into the compressor from an external source (some tropical cities can have ambient CO levels well above 10 ppm), or from CO produced internally due to overheating and combustion of the compressor's lubricating oil.

As Augustib indicated this was likely some form of compressor malfunction which lead to the CO production rather than the proverbial truck backing up to the intake. People need to realize that the bulk of those 3 percent of samples failing on CO are from compressor oil dieseling during compressor operation in high ambient temps and under full load. If there are no storage banks the first tanks filled when the compressor is cold will be CO-free but once the pump heats up one will see CO production if the installation is of poor quality and ambient temps in the compressor room high (i.e. > 35 C or 95 F).

This is why it is imperative that all compressors even those powered by an electric motor run a catalyst bed in the purifier plus have a CO monitor installed.

 

[DandyDon]

I see; I had the filter understand wrong. Who was it who said that "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" or words to that effect? Franklin or Twain, or many? Anyway...

I received this email from Dive Palancar this morning and have been thinking of a response all day...

Thank you very, very much for your interest, suggestions and help. Actually, the device I am requesting a quotation for is an Analox. I saw your next e-mail and will talk to Dr. Gomez. It is really good to deal with people like you, who wants to help and not just point a finger and look for somebody to blame. I really appreciate your comments.

And fortunately you caught me just as I was about to send a reply, now modified. I do hope my stand here is not too strong, but then - it needs to be...

Yes, I would like to help. I did not think I'd receive a reply to my original communication really, and I am aware at how accident news often does not leave the island, so was pleasantly surprised to receive your informative missive. Gracias!

1: I was wrong. Padi no longer requires quarterly air checks. Those can be still be done at either of two facilities...
Welcome to TRI Air Testing!
Sport Diving Compressed Air Testing - Trace Analytics
and Padi does have a discount program with one of those...
link to more info on Padi.com
but quarterly air testing is not enough anyway.

2: To test the tanks you currently have from the accident, perhaps the DAN affiliated local doctor can help. There are a few personal analyzers available and I carry and use one on every tank I dive, but I am looking forward to the new one Analox hopes to introduce this summer.

3: Continuous monitoring of Carbon Monoxide is the only safe approach since operating conditions can change with overheated compressors and other causes, and Analox can set you up with a full system for around $1,000 USD - a sizable investment, but only pennies a tank to ensure that CO problems do not make it to your customers and DMs.

I do not think that anyone on Cozumel is currently using one yet, as this seems to be a common and long standing omission in the Caribbean and Latin American sector as well as many other dive destinations around the world. DAN admits that they do not know how many scuba drownings are actually caused by CO toxicity in tanks as the testing and information has often not been forthcoming.

You can be the first on Cozumel perhaps to take the right step in acquiring and using one. Since the accident is well known in US Scuba, I suggest that you could stand to lose a significant amount of business otherwise - but if you do make this improvement and publicize it even, many will be impressed with such a responsible approach. Such is my thinking anyway...

4: You may also discuss the type of filters you are using with Analox or your compressor manufacturer, as I am told that it is important that the filter cartridge has a catalyst commonly known as "hopcalite" or "monoxycon" in it. I am not qualified to explain that tho, so will encourage you to discuss this with Analox, DAN, etc. Do let me know if I may assist in finding more information if you need it tho.