From the EPA site: "The impact of 1 pound of N2O on warming the atmosphere is almost 300 times that of 1 pound of carbon dioxide." https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases

Maybe we should switch to something better at UCLA?

Best,

Imke

-- 

Several years back the University of California worked with TSS to validate a method for using nitrous oxide as an alternate tracer gas. That study can be found here:

https://doi.org/10.1080/15459624.2013.839881

 

This is what we now use for ASHRAE 110 testing on all of our campuses.

 

 

________________________________

Christopher M. Kolodziej, Ph.D.
Chemical Hygiene Officer

UCLA Environment, Health & Safety | Chemical Safety

 

Mobile: (310) 261-8611

Book a virtual appointment

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU> On Behalf Of Chainani, Edward Torres
Sent: Friday, November 12, 2021 7:33 AM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] SF6 fume hood certification

 

The search for a suitable alternative to sulfur hexafluoride was the cover story of the 1st quarter 2021 issue of The NEBB Professional:

 

https://nebb.org/the-nebb-professional/

 

The article, "The Future of Fume Hood Testing: Implementing a Suitable Alternative to Sulfur Hexafluoride", mentioned that an ASHRAE Technical Committee sponsored a project that began in March 2017 and was tasked with finding a replacement tracer gas. Isopropyl alcohol was mentioned as a possible replacement.  So there may be a change in ASHRAE 110 on the horizon.

 

I learned from discussion with two fume hood testing professionals  that the major SF6 measuring instrument is no longer being manufactured or no longer being supported, and certified testers are in a holding pattern and waiting for the new standard and the potentially new equipment requirements that could go with a change in tracer gas.

 

 

Regards,

Ed

 

Edward Chainani, Ph.D.

Assisitant Director for Safety

The Grainger College of Engineering Office of Safety University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

1308 W Green St

Urbana, IL 61801

Phone: (217)244-5594

Email: echaina2**At_Symbol_Here**illinois.edu

Web: http://officeofsafety.engineering.illinois.edu/

 

"Safety is a dynamic non-event; we have to work very hard so nothing will happen." -James Reason

 

-----Original Message-----

From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU> On Behalf Of Ralph Stuart

Sent: Friday, November 12, 2021 6:45 AM

To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU

Subject: [DCHAS-L] SF6 fume hood certification

 

With COP 26 finishing up, those of us involved in assessing fume hood performance are thinking (again) about the use of SF6 as a tracer gas in fume hood evaluations (SF6 has 22,800 times the greenhouse gas potential of CO2). With this in mind, I have a couple of questions for the list:

 

1. Have CHAS members investigated alternatives to testing every fume hood using the ASHRAE 110 tracer gas test as written, using SF6 as the tracer gas?

 

2. Has anyone changed their fume hood acceptance protocol to try to reduce the amount of such tests that are conducted for climate impact mitigation purposes?

 

3. Has anyone calculated the relative climate impact of doing a commissioning test of a hood using SF6 relative to the lifetime climate impact of the energy required by that hood?

 

My personal opinion is that the test as written was designed to address specific design challenges associated with fume hoods when the standard was written in 1985. And it is based on a rather stilted scenario (a single user in a specific location with chemistry which is properly located in the hood). In my experience, essentially all hood installations since 1990 were designed and specified to pass that test and so additional 110 tests seldom generate actionable information. I am curious if other CHAS members have other experiences with this test?

 

Thanks for any information about these questions.

 

- Ralph

 

Ralph Stuart, CIH, CCHO

Environmental Safety Manager

Keene State College

603 358-2859

 

ralph.stuart**At_Symbol_Here**keene.edu

 

---

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---

For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas

--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas