HEALTH & SAFETY ISSUES OSHA

RESOURCES’ fire prevention system utilizes nitrogen generators and air compressors to create a flame-preventive atmosphere, by taking in ambient air and filtering it to 99,9% pure sterile nitrogen. This process releases hypoxic (reduced oxygen) air. This air is used for inerting the facility being protected. The sum of this product and all of it’s by products is simply air. We comply with greenhouse gases, Kyoto Protocol, NFPA and EPA standards.

The principle of the fire prevention system is to reduce oxygen to a point where combustion is impossible. While a 15% level of oxygen is essential to deter combustion it has absolutely nothing to do with human respiration requirements. Oxygen saturation of hemoglobin relies only upon absolute values, usually measured in terms of partial pressure available for respiration. Oxygen partial pressure is measured by multiplying the ambient pressure (760mmHg at sea level) by the percentage of oxygen present (normally 20.89% at all altitudes). The result is an absolute value that then can be used in health and safety determinations.

In Europe VDS an internationally accredited testing and certification institution for fire protection has approved hypoxic air (low oxygen).The European trade unions have approved 6 hours of continuous occupation in this environment, thereafter 30 minutes of ambient air is required prior to re-entry. There are over 100 installations using low oxygen to prevent fires, systems range from 13% to 16% oxygen levels. There are no reported health hazards in past seven years, or injuries at any level.

One may ask, “How much oxygen is enough?” Unfortunately there is no real answer as it is a matter of much debate and scientific discrepancy. According to NFPA standard 2001,"cleans agent fire extinguishing systems" page 28, table A-1 6.1.3."Physiological effects for inert gas agents”. At 12% oxygen there is no observable adverse effect on humans (Noael) at 10% oxygen low observable adverse effect (loael).

The preventive fire agent (air) corresponds to air-nitrogen gas mixtures already in the NFPA standard 2001, clean agent fire extinguishing systems. Resources satisfies all important clean agent properties, required by the NFPA standard 2001.Fire prevention in occupied spaces, such as safety and occupational health requirements (OSHA),fire prevention efficiency,reignition quenching, electrical conductivity,corrosity to metals,plomeric materials capabilities, stability under long term storage, toxicity of the chemical and its combustion and decomposition products and speed of dispersion. Nothing in this standard is intended to restrict new technologies or alternate arrangements provided the level of safety prescribed by this standard is not lowered.
ANSI Z.88-1983 Notes that at above 100mmHg shows no significant signs of impairment are present.

Though OSHA defines “oxygen deficient” as 19.5%, the published preamble and explanation for this regulation explains that this definition of “oxygen deficient” is meant to prevent prolonged exposure to atmosphere containing 100mmHg.The OSHA regulation allows for oxygen atmospheres of approximately 110mmHg.There is no exception clause, the language is vague for precisely controlled environments such as Resources Nitro Guard reduced oxygen. Under OSHA respiration article 1910.134 it leaves the type of respirator to be used to the employer when at 16% oxygen levels. As long as NIOSH approved self contained breathing apparatus is available for each person working in facility, you are in compliance. Once again, an Airplane ranges from 15% to 17% oxygen levels depending on the altitude of the plane, they comply by having oxygen mask available for each passenger.

Our oxygen-reduced environment maintains a precisely controlled atmosphere of 114-123mmHg. In terms of partial oxygen pressure this is virtually identical to the available oxygen found in many cities, such as boulder and Denver, Colorado and La Paz, Mexico. All commercial pilots regularly perform complex tasks without any physiological impairment within the same partial pressure range (15-17% oxygen) available in our environment. At this partial pressure of oxygen there will be little to no drop in oxy-hemoglobin saturation. Therefore the hypoxic preventive mode offers no risk to healthy human beings. In fact, solid data is emerging elucidating the overly positive effects of exposure to slightly hypoxic air. According to John B.West of the University of California one hundred and forty million people live in this atmosphere (8,000 feet).Many other people in Tibet and the Andes live in altitudes of 13,000 feet.

When acutely exposed to low partial pressure of oxygen, a healthy person responds within minutes to hours with increased ventilation, stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, increased heart rate, increased pulmonary-circulation resistance, reduced plasma volume and stimulation of red blood cell production. Acute mountain sickness occurs in some persons at these oxygen partial pressures, but the full syndrome is rare if continuous exposure is limited to 6 to 8 hours.
Dr.Arkadi Prokopov

Fire protection technology using low oxygen has become very popular. It prevents fires by replacing the oxygen content in the room with nitrogen. The oxygen content is lowered variously from 21% to 13% in protected rooms, depending on the flash points of materials. It prevents fires by replacing the ambient air with nitrogen. The air pressure remains the same. The deciding factor for human breathing is not the oxygen content but the oxygen partial pressure of the air.Physiologically,15%volume of oxygen at normal barometric pressure equals an altitude of 2700 meters at normal oxygen content.13% volume at normal barometric pressure equals an altitude of 3800 meters. Medical knowledge about this new technology's effects was gathered from mountain, flight, military, and sports medicine with predominant experience of lowered barometric pressure.

Under reduced oxygen partial pressure, a person reacts in the following ways; breathing quickly becomes labored, there is activation of the sympathetic nervous system, increased heart rate, vascular regulation adjustment and, within a few days, increased levels of the blood's oxygen carrying capacity due to increased numbers of red blood cells. Healthy persons can under reduced oxygen partial pressure develop altitude sickness or so called acute mountain sickness, i.e. headaches and loss of appetite/nausea, fatigue/weakness and dizziness. Only SOME people will have these symptoms and then only after several hours in the changed atmosphere. If any of these systems occur while in oxygen reduced room, leaving will quickly improve the person’s well being with no long term health risk.
Prof.dr.med.Dennis Nowak

Preliminary evidence suggests that working environments with low oxygen concentrations to a minimum of 13% and normal barometric pressure do not impose a health hazard, provided that precautions are observed, comprised of medical examinations and limitations of exposure.
Angerer et al 2002

In our experiments the effect of hypoxia on mental performance did not seem to be any greater then the effect of change of environment, motivation, fatigue or similar factors
Gustafsson et.al.1997

How is it possible to create ignition at high altitudes (airplane) but not in Resources environment? Ambient air with 4.51" of partial pressure of oxygen at 9,000 feet equates to 15% oxygen level can easily support the burning of paper,wood,candles etc.However,if the same partial pressure is at sea level it cannot burn or ignite common materials. The difference in oxygen concentration in these two environments diminishes the availability of oxygen to support combustion. This happens due to the increased number of nitrogen molecules interfering with the kinetic properties of oxygen molecules, it creates a buffer zone that obstructs the availability of oxygen molecules for combustion. When the kinetic properties of both gases are compared it is revealed that nitrogen molecules are both slower and have a lower penetration rate by a factor of 2.5 than oxygen moleclues.It has long been known that fire can be prevented or extinguished by removing oxygen from the air. It was not previously understood that at 15% oxygen levels under pressure close to sea level that there was no side effects to human respiration.

Nitrogen molecules at common flame temperatures do not return the absorbed thermal radiation. Rather, it is continuously removed from the combustion zone by the convection process. Because of this, an increase of nitrogen concentration in the air causes a mass-proportional increase in the total loss of emitted thermal energy, which inhibits combustion. Furthermore, increasing the nitrogen content in the gaseous mixture affects its molecular kinetic properties reducing the availability of oxygen molecules for combustion by 6 to 1.

SAFETY FACTS OF HYPOXIC AIR

• More than 10 million hours have been spent in a hypoxic environment by athletes with not one injury, health risk or side effect, an extraordinary safety record
• World anti doping association investigated hypoxic safety and concluded that it is safe and posed no health risk
• Hundreds of medical studies have concluded hypoxic air is not only safe but healthy for humans
• More humans have been harmed by drinking too much water than breathing hypoxic air
• There are no significant physiological differences between terrestrial altitude and sea level hypoxic air. Millions of skiers and tourist safely visit high altitude areas every day. Pikes Peak in Colorado is 14,110 (14% oxygen) feet at summit and receives thousands of visitors every year.
• When compared with above if some medical problem existed occupant needs to only walk outside of hypoxic environment versus being on a mountain.
• Experts in hypoxic air state there are no fundamental biological or physiological differences between real terrestrial altitude and simulated hypoxic environments.

World class athletes train in this environment. Lance Armstrong trains at 10.9% oxygen and sleeps at night in hypoxic air.Ed Moses, Michell Jones, David Beckham are but a few of the top athletes who work out in this environment on a regular basis. It has been calculated that over 1,000,000 athletes-nights have been spent in hypoxic environment, with zero injuries or health related incidences.

NOTE; a unit of pressure equal to 0.001316 atmospheres Pressure unit-a unit measuring force per unit area