CO2 Poisoning and Home Brewing

[VGMeads]

So, I had a thought.... I like to go over to my meads at least once a day and sniff for signs of the CO2 gasses..... The thought was.... If these things are continually pumping out CO2, then what is the risk of CO2 poisoning? I have my meads in an upstairs pantry, as it's warmer than my basement, but not too warm.... There IS airflow, but I'd still like to know.

 

[Hammy71]

None. I don't think a 'sniff' is gonna hurt anyone.

http://www.inspectapedia.com/hazmat/CO2gashaz.htm

 

[VGMeads]

I didn't think so, but it never hurts to ask. However, thinking about it... having been a smoker for a couple years, if a person can smoke a pack a day and not die of CO2 poisoning, I think sniffing a co2 filled balloon three to four times a day would be alright.

 

[sithspitt]

thought cigarettes were carbon monoxide not dioxide

 

[VGMeads]

Either way.

 

[theonetrueruss]

seriously.. carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are two terribly different things... You drink beer with CO2 in it. Ingesting CO2 is not going to hurt you like that... sure fill a whole room with nothing but CO2 and breathing might be difficult.. but CO2 poisoning from CO2 fumes is a 100% non issue.

 

[VGMeads]

I said either way as a reference to the fact that either could kill ya, and you really shouldn't be going around huffing a great deal of either....

 

[jd3]

Would you think twice about blowing a fire extinquisher in your garage and staying for a minute? That is co2.

Yes it could kill you, but it takes a lot(>5000 ppm).

http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/eh/chemfs/fs/carbondioxide.htm

Lets put it this way.... have you ever heard of ANYONE dying from co2 poisoning? Outside of medical conditions leading to increased pco2 levels and decreased o2 levels(secondary to respiratory failure, injury, infection, and general dying), I haven't personally heard of it. CO deaths are increasingly rare, but much more common.

You can't be afraid of everything.

 

[VGMeads]

I asked more out of curiosity

 

[Greyhound]

The air that we exhale is 4-5% CO2, so I'm not too concerned about the CO2 coming out of my air lock.

 

[dracothered]

Here is the long and short of it....

If where you were brewing was mostly air tight like the balloon some use as an air lock with a small hole to let out the CO2 it would be deadly to you. All the air would be pushed out to be replaced by the CO2 which is not good for you. So it boils down to you would have to have many things brewing all at once in a small area that is almost air tight.

Now what is dangerous is carbon monoxide and I can tell you that first hand. As I was in a van over night with 4 others and if one of them wouldn't of tried to light a cigaret I might not be here today. It is scary to watch a match start to light and then go straight out because there wasn't enough oxygen in the air to let it burn. It took him two or three times to realize what was happening.

 

[bengerman]

as i understand it, CO poisons you. Your blood can't sort CO from O2, so the CO enters your bloodstream where it does bad things.
CO2, on the other hand, is not absorbed by your body. the problem with CO2 is that it displaces the O2 in confined spaces.

as everyone said, this means that it takes A LOT of CO2 to hurt you, and a lot less CO.

 

[WTF_Brewing]

In the winery business, it wasn't unheard of for a newb to lean over a large fermenter and take a sniff and get a lung full of CO2. Most of the time they would get get out of harms way and with some deep breathing be OK, but a few times my dad had to help people that passed out from inhaling too much CO2. Once they get fresh air and get the CO2 out of their lungs, they'd be OK.

 

[dracothered]

In the winery business, it wasn't unheard of for a newb to lean over a large fermenter and take a sniff and get a lung full of CO2. Most of the time they would get get out of harms way and with some deep breathing be OK, but a few times my dad had to help people that passed out from inhaling too much CO2. Once they get fresh air and get the CO2 out of their lungs, they'd be OK.

Those had to be fairly large vats to produce enough CO2 to do that...

 

[WTF_Brewing]

5 thousand gallons or so.

 

[jd3]

It would have to be HUGE. LIke you can't imagine. I have been in the building when these have gone off more than once(halon fire suppression systems) and they dump a couple hundred lbs of co2 in seconds. Once i felt SOB(short of breathe) but this is because the oxygen is displaced, not that you are poisoned by co2.

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/q303E9mLujQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

So if you dump a lot of co2 into your closet, with yourself locked in there, maybe it will cause a problem. But if not, you'll be fine... as you can see the co2 cloud continues to roll down and out. With the slightest air movement you can brush it away.

 

[jd3]

and just an idea of how well these systems work:

designed to NOT damage equipment left behind(like water and foam would).

 

[Homercidal]

I thought the CO2 was only dangerous because it displaced the O2 that we would need to breathe, not that it was actually "poisonous".

 

[dracothered]

It would have to be HUGE. LIke you can't imagine. I have been in the building when these have gone off more than once(halon fire suppression systems) and they dump a couple hundred lbs of co2 in seconds. Once i felt SOB(short of breathe) but this is because the oxygen is displaced, not that you are poisoned by co2.

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/q303E9mLujQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

So if you dump a lot of co2 into your closet, with yourself locked in there, maybe it will cause a problem. But if not, you'll be fine... as you can see the co2 cloud continues to roll down and out. With the slightest air movement you can brush it away.

SOME WHAT
Sorry to tell you Halon and CO2 are two different chemicals and are not alike. They both can fight fires but the do it a little differently. Here is a blurb from another sight about Halon...

Halon is similar to CO2 in that it is suitable for use in cold weather and leaves no residue. Unlike CO2, however, Halon does not displace the air out of the area where it is dispensed. Even for the toughest fires, less than an 8% concentration of Halon by volume is required, leaving plenty of air to use in the evacuation process.

Found here... http://www.h3rcleanagents.com/support_faq_2.htm
END OF

Don't worry over the CO2 from your brewing unless you have large vats going that are in the 1000's of gallons. It is safe for you in small amounts and not in almost air tight closets or rooms.

 

[jd3]

SOME WHAT
Sorry to tell you Halon and CO2 are two different chemicals and are not alike. They both can fight fires but the do it a little differently. Here is a blurb from another sight about Halon...



Found here... http://www.h3rcleanagents.com/support_faq_2.htm
END OF

Don't worry over the CO2 from your brewing unless you have large vats going that are in the 1000's of gallons. It is safe for you in small amounts and not in almost air tight closets or rooms.

I should have been clearer. THe WORD HALON should not have been included. THESE ARE co2 fire suppression systems though. They are what is used in printing presses and metal manufacturing areas in my area. As a Medic I have first hand seen them, as well as Halon systems(used usually in super sensitive electronics manufacturing areas).

All of your discussion aside, the videos links ARE co2 systems.