Taking the necessary precautions when dealing with refrigerants can help you avoid injuries and other dangerous situations. If you are an air care specialist, you will find yourself in many situations where you have to deal with refrigerants such as R-22 (halocarbon compound CHClF2), one of the most commonly used refrigerant. You will find it mainly air conditioning systems. The R in R-22 stands for refrigerant and the second 2 in 22 represents the number of fluorine atoms in the refrigerant.

Safety First

Naturally, limited exposure to R-22 is not fatal or harmful in any way. However, if a technician doing refrigerant replacement in League City, TX is going about his normal routine of AC repair or maintenance and is exposed to the refrigerant for an extended period, there are possible health hazards. You need to exercise caution, and to do that effectively, you need to understand the potential hazards, which include:

  • Pressure.
  • Combustion.
  • Toxicity

Combustion and pressure pose a serious hazard to the people around a refrigerant, but usually, measures are taken beforehand to minimize the occurrence of incidences relating to such. Toxicity, on the other hand, is likely to occur especially during repair and maintenance exercises of air care systems. There are steps you can take to minimize the dangers posed by R-22.

Refrigerant Safety

R-22 safety is a pretty simple concept; keep the refrigerant in the system or in the cylinder where it poses no danger to the people. Problems arise when the refrigerant gets out the system – the exposure is often fast and unexpected. Once inhaled, the refrigerant cuts the oxygen supply to the cells and lungs and can be a pretty serious health problem, but usually non-fatal. Symptoms of exposure to R-22 include shortness of breath, convulsion, tremors, etc.

One of the most effective ways of avoiding injuries when handling refrigerants is by using the right safety equipment — for instance, wearing protective gear and following safety procedures. Protective gear may include gloves, masks, and clothing that can protect you from exposure in case of an unexpected release of the refrigerant. Cylinders should also be inspected regularly. Refrigerant cylinders that show signs of corrosion, denting, distortion, or rust should be replaced.

For more information or for professional AC & heating services you can trust, contact us today.