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MST
Technology announces inno-badge, an electronic
dosimeter badge
for continuous recording of a worker’s exposure to Phosgene gas. Phosgene,
also known as Carbonyl Chloride, is a widely used but highly toxic
substance. At room temperature Phosgene gas is nearly colorless, and at
low concentrations cannot be smelled. This hazardous substance is used in
a variety of chemical reactions, especially in organic syntheses, such as
in the manufacturing process of Di-Isocyanates, Polyurethanes and
Polycarbonates. Millions
of tons of Polycarbonates are manufactured every year. CD-ROMs and DVDs
are just two of many examples of common products made of Polycarbonate. Strict
safety and security provisions minimize spectacular and large scale
accidents. However, persons involved in chemical production, health and
safety surveillance or first response action forces are well aware of the
potential dangers of a Phosgene exposure. When it comes to dealing with
hazardous substances in a working environment, industry and authorities
demand precise monitoring to protect personnel, facilities and
neighbouring residents A creeping danger: Phosgene concentrations below the alarm thresholdA
potential scenario during routine operations is the presence of very low
concentrations of the toxic chemical.
No gas alarm will be triggered, as the Phosgene concentration
itself stays below threshold values. However, a person working in an
exposed area all day long or for several days in a row could well receive
a cumulative dose that exceeds admissible levels.
The cumulative dose is the sum of all the tiny contributions during
the day or days. Harmful consequences of Phosgene may not appear immediately The
medical consequences of an excess Phosgene dose can be severe.
Damage to the respiratory tract and the bronchioles can result in
pulmonary oedema that may ultimately affect the heart.
The heart becomes overworked in an attempt to supply oxygen to the
body. Typically, the first symptoms occur several hours after exposure.
For that reason, accurate information about the nature of a
possible incident and the person’s exposure characteristics is of the
highest importance. Health protection requires reliable monitoring and accurate dosimetric devicesConventional
methods such as the paper badges change color and turn red (or sometimes
blue) when exposed to phosgene. To work properly and indicate the dose
reliably, the paper badge must be stored in airtight containers before use.
After the work shift, if the paper badge was exposed to phosgene, the
safety Co-ordinator applies a color comparison chart to figure out whether
the exposure was above or below threshold. If no color change was visually
detected, usually the paper badge is thrown away. Obviously with the
disposal of the badge, any record of an incident would be gone as well.
Any chances to investigate an incident in retrospective are gone! In
addition, the use of colorimetric paper cannot differentiate between an
incident of short duration or one that has accumulated from lots of small
contributions over a specified time interval.
It makes a difference whether a dose was from a short duration and
high concentration or whether the overall dose was recorded during an
8-hour-shift. The inno-badge provides in-depth dose profiles and immediate warning for the userMST
Technology’s inno-badge is an important step forward in health and
safety protection. Conventional
methods do not reflect the important history-profile of a gas exposure.
The inno-badge makes in-depth gas concentration profiles accessible.
The individual exposure history is measured and recorded electronically.
The data can be analized by the health and safety Co-ordinator. “It’s the ability
to count and record the dose history in full detail, and with a highly
reliable electronic device, that makes the most significant difference of
the inno-badge to conventional methods”, stresses Dr. Elisabeth Wasserle,
product manager at MST Technology and responsible for the forthcoming
market launch of the inno-badge. “Important
information will no longer be thrown away with paper badges that, for
whatever reason, did not show a color change. The
inno-badge is a small, light, and durable device that will revolutionize
the way gas concentration data are recorded for the sake of personal
protection” and - even more important - the inno-badge will warn the
user immediately as soon as an excess Phosgene dose is registered. The inno-badge makes the task of checking your dose personal With
conventional methods workers must check their own badge regularly or
depend on their colleagues to warn them of any color change. For persons
working in an environment with a risk of Phosgene exposure, an alarm
function with pre-set alarm levels for peak concentration and integrated
dose is a great relief. “This is why the inno-badge features a visible,
audible and upon request, a vibration alarm. The programmable alarm
threshold values can be set individually, according to national
regulations and company policies”, explains Wasserle. Designed for maximum ease of use The
inno-badge is small, rugged and simple to handle. Simply push the start
button and the inno-badge is ready for use for 90 days. There is no need
to worry about calibration or complex set-up procedures. Self-test
routines are executed automatically. A short instruction is sufficient to
familiarize anyone with the operation of the inno-badge.
The LCD displays the remaining life time of the sensor, and a
blinking heartbeat symbol that confirms that the inno-badge is active.
Health
and Safety Co-ordinators can quickly configure and hand out inno-badges.
Concentration data can be retrieved and downloaded to a PC when the unit
is returned at the end of a shift or after the life span of the unit. Data
is permanently recorded for immediate or future analysis.
Each inno-badge provides as standard data sets a comprehensive dose
history log-file as well as running 12 to 72 hour averages of the measured
Phosgene concentration. The readout can be stored, viewed and analyzed
with prevalent software applications Meeting industry demand with an innovative conceptWith
the development of the inno-badge MST Technology has successfully applied
the essence of 15 years of experience in electrochemical sensor technology
to the field of personal protection. “Demand for the concept originally
comes from the chemical industry”, stresses Dr. Wasserle. “The idea to
use our tried and tested electrochemical sensor technology in this new
field has encouraged us to develop the innovative two part design of the
inno-badge with its advanced features. With the inno-badge our highly
reliable and accurate measurement technology will soon be available for
personal and environmental protection.” MST
Technology GmbH MST
Technology GmbH develops, manufactures and distributes innovative gas
detection solutions. For more than 15 years MST’s mission has been to
ensure the safe handling of gases with respect to personal protection and
facility monitoring. The product range includes portable detectors for
personal protection as well as sensor modules and gas detectors for use on
and in gas detection systems. Sensors and control equipment are available
for a large number of different toxic, corrosive and flammable gasses. MST
Technology GmbH serves the chemical, petrochemical, semiconductor and the
automotive industry and has offices in Europe, Asia and the USA. Contact:
Dr.
Elisabeth Wasserle MST
Technology GmbH
Benediktstr.
1 82069
Hohenschäftlarn Phone:
+49 (0) 8178 869-145 e-Mail: press@mst-technology.com
Posted
February 21, 2006
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