Specialty, Industrial, Food and Medical Gas Safety Alert 
(September 24, 2019) 

Mixtures containing Carbon Monoxide & Carbon Dioxide in steel cylinders

This GAWDA Safety Alert is issued to inform GAWDA members of potential cylinder damage resulting from internal stress corrosion where carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are filled in steel cylinders. In the past, cylinders have violently ruptured causing significant damage.

Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are present in many mixtures. Recently, food gas mixtures (meat processing gas) and laser mixtures have been widely produced.

If you are filling mixtures containing carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, with or without other balance gases, in steel cylinders, it is highly recommended that you obtain CGA P-57, Avoidance Of Failure Of Carbon Monoxide And Of Carbon Monoxide/Carbon Dioxide Mixtures Cylinders.

CGA P-57 is available for free to GAWDA members who participate in the GAWDA/CGA Safety Program. To get more information about this GAWDA benefit, click here.

CGA P-57 contains specific information about the reactions inside the cylinder, precautions and recommendations to follow when removing cylinders from this service.

It is also highly recommended that you have and carefully follow written procedures to help reduce the potential for violent cylinder failures caused by filling steel cylinders with mixtures containing carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.

Click here to read the complete alert including sample procedures.

This GAWDA Industrial Gas and Medical Gas Safety Alert is issued jointly by Mike Dodd and Tom Badstubner, your GAWDA DOT and FDA consultants. Please contact Mike Dodd or Tom Badstubner for further information.