June 03, 2022
Carbon dioxide is one of the most frequently overlooked of all toxic gases. Even to refer to CO2 as a toxic gas, is a surprise to many safety professionals. Let’s take a closer look.
In the past, the majority of atmospheric monitoring programs have treated CO2 as only a “simple asphyxiant”. An asphyxiant is a substance that can cause unconsciousness or death by suffocation (asphyxiation). Asphyxiants, which have no other health effects, are referred to as “simple” asphyxiants.
As carbon dioxide was not considered to be a toxic hazard, rather than directly measuring the CO2 concentration in a confined space or workplace environment, it was seen as adequate to simply measure the oxygen concentration. But is this assessment really valid?
The effects of CO2
To answer this question, it helps to look at the physical effects of different CO2 concentrations as listed by some Health Authorities. The levels of CO2 in