March 19, 2019 1428 view(s)

Detecting Waste Anesthetic Gas Leaks in the Medical Industry

Detecting Waste Anesthetic Gas Leaks in the Medical Industry 

What is Waste Anesthetic Gas?

Waste anesthetic gases can be found in operating rooms, surgical recovery and other post-anesthesia care units, and research labs, and can come from anesthesia machines, ventilators, breathing systems, and waste-gas scavenging systems. WAG include both nitrous oxide and halogenated anesthetics such as halothane, enflurane, isoflurane, desflurane, sevoflurane, and methoxyflurane (no longer used in the United States). The halogenated anesthetics are often administered in combination with nitrous oxide. Nitrous oxide and some of the halogenated anesthetics may pose a hazard to hospital workers.

What are the health effects of exposure to Waste Anesthetic Gas?

Hospital workers who are exposed to WAG are at risk of developing health effects. Though there is currently no binding guideline for occupational exposure levels, NIOSH recommends reducing exposure to waste anesthetic gases as much as possible to prevent headache, fatigue, nausea, and other more serious issues (depending on exposure).

How to detect Waste Anesthetic Gas?

Using RAECO Rent’s Gasmet DX4040 Portable FTIR Gas Analyzer you can detect WAG in operating rooms, recovery suites, patient rooms, research labs, veterinarian clinics and more. By using the Gasmet DX4040 Portable FTIR Gas Analyzer hospital employees can make sure there isn’t a high concentration of waste anesthetic gas in the air. This gas analyzer can give you results in just 25 seconds and can be calibrated with clean air or nitrogen. NIOSH recommends testing for WAG in hospital and lab settings at least semiannually, when new systems or devices are put into operation, or whenever a leak is suspected.

Learn more about the Gasmet FTIR gas analyzer, and get a copy of the Waste Anesthetic Gas Surveillance Program Report from the NIH Division of Occupational Health and Safety.