Health concerns with O2 and also sanitizer

[Thurstday]

• I hate to be that guy, but I'm curious about the health concerns with using O2 bottles to oxygenate your wort. I am looking at purchasing the "Oxygenation Kit 2.0" from Northern Brewer and it says to use a disposable oxygen tank from a hardware store. When i went to Lowe's tonight, I noticed the warning labels and couldn't help but wonder if this is something I want to be adding into my batch?

• Also I am curious about the sanitizer that gets mixed in with the beer before drinking, such as One-Step sanitizer; on the labels it says "...if swallowed, induce vomiting immediately and contact a physician.." I know its a small amount, but when you sanitize your bottling equipment and start running beer through that into bottles, its also collecting the sanitizer.

 

[Hello]

Sanitizer, don't swallow it in concentrated form. Oxygen, California is weird and requires those warnings. It'll take a lot for you to get anything from pure O2. Think about it.

 

[doug293cz]

The sanitizer package warnings apply to the undiluted form of the material. Once diluted, they are safe.

Commercially available oxygen is produced by liquefying air. So medical oxygen comes from the same machines as welding oxygen. Medical oxygen is controlled by the FDA and requires lots of documentation about it's purity, but industrial oxygen is cheaper because it doesn't require all the paperwork.

Brew on

 

[Onkel_Udo]

On the O2...if this is a surprise, did you fail Chem class and never take shop?

O2 is an oxidizer. It burns. It is one three components is creating rust. It is one of the two components in Oxy-Acetylene welding (three if you count the filler metal).

Pure Oxygen is inherently dangerous because it make (almost) everything else burn fast. Ever done the candle under a bell jar thing? Not oxygen, no flame.

That being said, using it correctly is like using the candle correctly...not all that dangerous. Heck you are breathing it after all.

Easiest way to avoid the sanitizer concern is to switch to Star San.

 

[soccerdad]

I sanitize with Star San. Including my bottles. After 24 to 30 in a single sitting there is definitely some vomiting induced. It must be the Star San.

 

[aprichman]

My understanding is that with sanitizers like StarSan and possibly the "one step" no rinse cleaners they package in every brew kit break down into inert organic byproducts that don't harm people. In their active state they are dangerous but over a short period of time they chemically interact with the ingredients and break down.

As far as oxygen tanks go that concerns me a lot more. Even food grade nitrogen can have serious problems with contaminants.

Don't even want to think what could be in those oxygen tanks if their intended for welding

 

[acidrain]

"This container and byproducts of the combustion of it's contents..."
Are you eating the container, or inhaling the fumes during combustion?

 

[acidrain]

Don't even want to think what could be in those oxygen tanks if their intended for welding

I use one of those and have never had soot like that.

 

[Thurstday]

ipe:

 

[grrickar]

As a public service to you all, please ship all beers aerated with O2 from the red cylinders to my house for scientific testing.

I will expertly determine if the beer is considered safe for human consumption.

Note that you are responsible for shipping, and the samples will be destroyed during the testing process.

Reread the label 'byproducts of combustion' can cause cancer. You aren't burning it, nor are you inhaling it.

Here is the actual MSDS sheet for that cylinder. I see no references to cancer, and the rest seems pretty much what you would expect about keeping it from ignition sources and high heat.

http://www.worthingtonindustries.com/getmedia/8c813bf5-e753-445c-ab99-c760a12fa8d7/wc033-oxygen

 

[1977Brewer]

As a public service to you all, please ship all beers aerated with O2 from the red cylinders to my house for scientific testing.

I will expertly determine if the beer if considered safe for human consumption.

Note that you are responsible for shipping, and the samples will be destroyed during the testing process.

Reread the label 'byproducts of combustion' can cause cancer. You aren't burning it, nor are you inhaling it.

Here is the actual MSDS sheet for that cylinder. I see no references to cancer, and the rest seems pretty much what you would expect about keeping it from ignition sources and high heat.

http://www.worthingtonindustries.com/getmedia/8c813bf5-e753-445c-ab99-c760a12fa8d7/wc033-oxygen

Second opinions available upon request over hurr.

 

[aprichman]

I use one of those and have never had soot like that.

This article was pretty eye opening for me and this appears to be a very real problem. It's impossible to have 100% composition of any gas, there will always be a level of adulterants in these products.

These are food grade products which. Products that are intended for welding are using the cheapest methods of production which will almost always have the highest amount of adulterants. It's not a matter of "if there is" but a matter of "how much is there".

 

[govner1]

• I hate to be that guy, but I'm curious about the health concerns with using O2 bottles to oxygenate your wort. I am looking at purchasing the "Oxygenation Kit 2.0" from Northern Brewer and it says to use a disposable oxygen tank from a hardware store. When i went to Lowe's tonight, I noticed the warning labels and couldn't help but wonder if this is something I want to be adding into my batch?

• Also I am curious about the sanitizer that gets mixed in with the beer before drinking, such as One-Step sanitizer; on the labels it says "...if swallowed, induce vomiting immediately and contact a physician.." I know its a small amount, but when you sanitize your bottling equipment and start running beer through that into bottles, its also collecting the sanitizer.

First, I use an in line filter on my O2 canisters. I am moving to a medical O2 tank soon.
Second, One Step is a cleanser, NOT a sanitizer. StarSan is a no rinse sanitizer. You don't have to worry about residual foam affecting your beer.

 

[Braufessor]

First, I use an in line filter on my O2 canisters. I am moving to a medical O2 tank soon.
Second, One Step is a cleanser, NOT a sanitizer. StarSan is a no rinse sanitizer. You don't have to worry about residual foam affecting your beer.

+1 to both of these.

Also, it is probably worth noting that the main threat of cancer is the alcohol in your beer.

 

[Onkel_Udo]

+1 to both of these.

Also, it is probably worth noting that the main threat of cancer is the alcohol in your beer.

Actually, the main threat of cancer is living. That threat is no longer a threat when you are dead...it is just a footnote at that point.

 

[Natdavis777]

Everything causes cancer in California...

 

[spgreene]

Hmmm, just brewed my first batch on New Years. "Sanitized" everything with the 1Step that came in my NB kit. Gonna pop the lid in a day or two to check the gravity, but fermentation seemed to go well from the airlock activity. Should I be concerned about a possible infection?

 

[thekraken]

As far as oxygen tanks go that concerns me a lot more. Even food grade nitrogen can have serious problems with contaminants.
...
Don't even want to think what could be in those oxygen tanks if their intended for welding

This... I want to know more about this.

 

[Hello]

Living in California in an apartment built prior to 2001 causes cancer.

 

[doug293cz]

This article was pretty eye opening for me and this appears to be a very real problem. It's impossible to have 100% composition of any gas, there will always be a level of adulterants in these products.

These are food grade products which. Products that are intended for welding are using the cheapest methods of production which will almost always have the highest amount of adulterants. It's not a matter of "if there is" but a matter of "how much is there".

I'd be very careful about generalizing from nitrous oxide in cartridges to compressed oxygen or nitrogen. There are no systemic sources of contamination in the cryogenic production of compressed oxygen, other than what's in the starting air. I can't say anything about the production process for nitrous oxide, other than it's not produced from liquefied air. The production processes are very different, so types of typical contaminants are going to be different. The metal shards and particles observed in the linked article comes from puncturing the seal on the nitrous cartridges. The disposable oxygen cylinders don't have the same kind of metallic seal.

Brew on

 

[dude3516]

If you're so concerned then why not go this route. I use something similar and it works fine. Plus, no need to keep buying O2 tanks.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/aeration-system.html

 

[sandyeggoxj]

Every time I see a prop 65 warning I thank my lucky stars that I am not in the PRK because I sure don't want cancer. When you are in one of the other 49 states things are MUCH safer for you.

 

[MrTux]

Living in California in an apartment built prior to 2001 causes cancer.

Living in any kind of structure with any kind of man made materials will cause cancer. In California, you shall live in the fields, not wear cloths, never shave, and continue to vote for wackos who will continue to get rich while your giving everything away.

 

[bja]

If you're so concerned then why not go this route. I use something similar and it works fine. Plus, no need to keep buying O2 tanks.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/aeration-system.html

But air causes cancer...

 

[dude3516]

But air causes cancer...

No, see, this is organic air that i farm myself using the ancient air farming techniques...

 

[Clonefan94]

Basic brewing radio did a podcast with a toxicologist, a three part series. They tested everything I've ever heard a question about, aluminum, non food grade materials, sanitizers, and just about anything else you can think of. The end result of everything was the only toxic thing in homebrew, and by far the most dangerous to your body, was the alcohol. Basically, if you drank enough homebrew for any trace toxins, the alcohol will kill you long before that.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[thekraken]

Basic brewing radio did a podcast with a toxicologist, a three part series. They tested everything I've ever heard a question about, aluminum, non food grade materials, sanitizers, and just about anything else you can think of. The end result of everything was the only toxic thing in homebrew, and by far the most dangerous to your body, was the alcohol. Basically, if you drank enough homebrew for any trace toxins, the alcohol will kill you long before that.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Whelp, had to dig that up

Nov 14, 2013: Part 1 http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=basic-brewing-radio-2013
Dec 12, 2013: Part 2
Feb 27, 2014: Part 3 http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=basic-brewing-radio-2014

 

[MrNatural]

Everything causes cancer in California...

Mainly the politicians....................

 

[Clonefan94]

Whelp, had to dig that up

Nov 14, 2013: Part 1 http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=basic-brewing-radio-2013
Dec 12, 2013: Part 2
Feb 27, 2014: Part 3 http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=basic-brewing-radio-2014

It's really a great listen. I'd reccomend everyone who sees this download them. If nothing else, it really gives you a nice sense of relief about the process.