(NC)—If you have smoke and carbon monoxide alarms installed on every storey of your home and outside bedrooms, and they each have fresh batteries, give yourself a pat on the back.
But if any of those smoke alarms is more than 10 years old, or any CO alarm is more than 7 years old, your family safety efforts are being wasted. Because just like other appliances and devices in your home, smoke and CO alarms wear out and must be replaced.

While newer models have a built-in “end of life” warning – a chirp that tells you to replace it – older ones do not. So how can you remember to replace alarms, and, when?
Follow the ’10/7 Replacement Rule’. It goes like this: replace any smoke alarm after 10 years, and any CO alarm after 7 years. It doesn’t matter whether your alarms are battery operated or hardwired into your home’s electrical system. The 10/7 Replacement Rule still applies.

Did you know?

All smoke alarms are not the same.

Photoelectric smoke alarms are a good choice near kitchens. Their sensors are best at detecting slow smoldering fires so you will have fewer false alarms when you burn the toast.
Ionization smoke alarms are a good choice for general living areas, as they are best at detecting fast-flaming fires.

Fire departments say that having both types of alarms installed in your home provides the best protection. More information on the different types of smoke alarms and other fire safety tips can be found online at www.safeathome.ca

Reference: News Canada.

Transport Canada has recently issued Amendment 10, an update to Canada’s Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations. The text of this amendment can be found at http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2011/2011-10-12/html/sor-dors210-eng.html.

This Amendment deals specifically with Emergency Response Assistance Plans (ERAPs), and compensation for situations where the government has invoked a plan in the event of a terrorist action. Costs that are eligible for compensation include:

• the salaries and other compensation for employees and contractors;
• the cost for tools and equipment used, including rental of equipment where necessary,
• cost of replacing supplies, single-use equipment and other consumables,
• travel expenses for personnel, including meals and accommodation,
• expenses related to injury or death of employees or contractors, and
• costs incident to cleanup after an incident, including handling and disposal costs for dangerous goods and contaminated materials.

In the event of a terrorist incident involving dangerous goods in transport, the Minister of Transport can invoke an ERAP, even if the ERAP is held by someone other than the consignor of the goods. The amendment is required to ensure that this does not place an undue economic burden on the owner of the invoked ERAP.

Other aspects of ERAPs, such as the quantities that trigger the requirement, have not been changed in this amendment. If you have questions about how Amendment 10 will affect ERAPs, please contact ICC The Compliance Center Inc at 1-888-442-9628 (USA) or 1-888-977-4834 (Canada).

See our TDG resources >>

Robert Transport and Gaz Métro Transportation Solutions inaugurate Canada’s first commercial liquefied natural gas station

Boucherville, Monday, October 17, 2011 – In the presence of Clément Gignac, the Quebec Minister of Natural Resources and Wildlife and Minister responsible for the Northern Plan, Pierre Moreau, the Quebec Minister of Transport and Nicole Ménard, the Quebec Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible of the Montérégie region, Claude Robert, President and CEO of Robert Transport, and Sophie Brochu, President and CEO of Gaz Métro, announced the inauguration of the first commercial liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuelling station in Canada along the “Blue Road.” This station is an integral part of the LNG pilot project designed to fuel a fleet of heavy-duty trucks.
The “Blue Road”

The purpose of the “Blue Road” is to create Canada’s first liquefied natural gas–fuelled freight transportation corridor along the 20/401 highway between the Quebec City area and the Greater Toronto Area. Every week, heavy-duty trucks make 48,000 trips along this corridor. More specifically, the project aims to replace diesel fuel with the cleaner alternative that is liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The project enjoys strong support from the Quebec government, which has put into place fiscal incentives for the procurement of heavy-duty trucks that run on LNG and established a $1,783,555 grant. This grant will be used to set up the infrastructure required to adapt and further develop this environmental technology designed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated by freight transportation between Quebec and Ontario.

For Robert Transport, the first step will involve rolling out a fleet of 180 LNG-fuelled heavy-duty trucks. “Robert Transport hopes to continue to be an industry leader. That is why we feel it is critical to work toward a cleaner future, for the benefit of our customers, our employees, our shareholders and society as a whole. This project will help us be more competitive while still reducing the carbon footprint of our operations,” said Claude Robert, President and CEO of Robert Transport.
In partnership with the Quebec government and Robert Transport, Gaz Métro Transportation Solutions (GMTS), a subsidiary of Gaz Métro, hopes to establish the technical and economic feasibility of LNG as an alternative fuel for a major fleet of heavy-duty trucks, even in Quebec’s harsh weather conditions. Accordingly, Gaz Métro will make use of its liquefaction plant that has been operating in Montreal for more than 40 years. Three cryogenic storage tanks will supply the LNG for three refuelling sites located in Boucherville, Mississauga and the Quebec City area.

“Gaz Métro Transportation Solutions is dedicated to coming up with energy solutions that can be immediately applied in the transportation industry. Natural gas is a forward-looking environmental and economical solution for the trucking sector. We are proud to contribute to the adaptation and development of a new technology in Quebec,” said Sophie Brochu, President and CEO of
Gaz Métro.

Advantages of using natural gas in the transportation industry:

Environmental advantages of natural gas:

In terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Quebec, the transportation industry (road, maritime, rail, air) tops the list, having generated 43.3% of total emissions in 2008. Freight transportation represents an important segment to be targeted with respect to GHG reduction, since diesel-fuelled heavy-duty trucks in service in Quebec are responsible for 28% of the total emissions produced by the sector as a whole. As natural gas generates some 25% less GHGs than diesel, it may contribute to substantially reducing GHG emissions.

Outlook: A bridge toward renewable fuel

Natural gas–fuelled transportation has even more promising longer-term prospects. Vehicles that run on natural gas can use processed biomethane, a renewable natural gas generated by organic waste valorization. The use of biomethane could help reduce GHG emissions by roughly 85%, when compared with diesel.

Economic advantages of natural gas:

Fuel is one of the trucking industry’s biggest expenses, and natural gas is more economical than diesel. By using natural gas to fuel a part of its fleet, Robert Transport will not only be reducing its carbon footprint, it will also be cutting its operating costs.

I am beginning to feel like Peter Mackay of Hazardous Cargo Bulletin (HCB) – doing this in two parts. Cheers Peter!

The Thursday session continued with Richard Bornhorst, USCG, on Amendment 35 of the IMDG Code. This amendment is at the 16th Edition of the UN model regulations, but does not include the revised EHS/GHS criteria. Some of the new issues with this Amendment are:

• the new limited quantity mark
• new Chapter 5.5 on fumigated containers, including a fumigation certificate
• UN3166 Engines, has two new special provisions 961 & 962
• new TIH n.o.s. entries UN3488 – 3494, such as sour crude oil
• training record retention
• monitoring equipment as part of a CTU does not need to be declared

Some proposals for Amendment 36 are:

• revised EHS/GHS criteria
• adopt the 17th Edition of the UN model regulations
• revision of Chapter 7 – simplified stowage and packing requirements for Class 1 based on vessel type
• books to be published every 4 years with amendments every two years
• new illustrations
• new guidelines for packing CTUs
• revised circular on CTU inspections that contain dangerous goods; 56,000 CTU inspected worldwide in last year with 51,000 in the US alone

Bob Richard then continued the presentation on:

• DSC 16 (Sub-committee on dangerous goods, solid cargoes and containers) on fibre bulk containers (FBCs) – these will be restricted to a stacking height of 3, and restricted on long distance roll on, roll off (RoRo)
• batteries tested prior to 2014.01.01 will be grandfathered
• there were papers that were presented by Belgium, China, Korea and DGAC that were rejected:
• China proposed a limited quantity for alcohol
• Korea: 1) prohibit metal packaging for Li batteries, 2) separate wet batteries from Class 3, 3) allow the use of the UN number on limited quantity packages, 4) the overpack marking should be a minimum of 65 mm in height
• DGAC: wanted specific packaging and storage rules for Class 4.3
• all the above were rejected as these proposals should be presented to the UN not the IMO

Dave Evans (Purolator Canada) and Duane Pfund (PHMSA) brought us up to date with the changes in Canada. Amendment 8 is still at Justice. Linda Hume is off on medical leave and will retire in February 2012. Transport Canada has met with PHMSA recently and both signed a memorandum of understanding regarding compressed cylinders. Both parties have agreed to circulate proposed changes with each other.

Geoff Leach returned to go over the top 5 feedback points regarding training programmes. His first question was “what is feedback?”.   Feed back is: Knowledge of the results of any behavior, considered as influencing or modifying further performance.

1. if you don’t know where you’re going, how do you know which route to take? you need objectives
2. talking vs asking: why ask? a) to test understanding & acceptance, b) to stop switching off, c) stop participants from being passive
3. why are we here? be specific – illustrate by using an example, i.e. ValueJet
4. reading vs teaching
5. visual aids – Geoff did an exercise of reading a list of items vs showing a list of pictograms

Chris Egloff, Americase, did a presentation of shipping oxygen cylinders or generators by air. This only applies to the US, but also applies to shipments leaving the US, entering the US, intra US or US flagged aircraft. FedEx requires the use of the ATA300 package. One issue of note is the number of cylinders per case. The regulations do not say you can or can’t have multiple cylinders in a package. The shipper would need to refer to the manufacturer for clarification. Boeing 787s do not have oxygen generators on board, rather, the aircraft has a 10k cylinder in the cabin. A 10k cylinder is a 10,000 psi cylinder.

Gene Sanders lead a session on classification questions – how not to write them. He talked about wisdom vs experiences and introduced Emily.

• M – measured
• L – learning
• E – exercise
• M-L-E

Gene does not say that the course will end with a test, quiz or exam, but says that Emily (MLE) will show up at the end of the session.

At the end of the day’s sessions, Geoff Leach was the honorary Duckmaster at the Peabody, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YNrCvBqDPo to see Geoff in action.

On Friday morning, Duane Pfund presented Bob Richard with a PHMSA inspection shield for his years of service at PHMSA. We were also regaled with some stories about Bob.

Three inspectors from PHMSA told us that inspections are random subject to a priority list. The regulations pertain to shippers, carriers, freight forwarders, 3rd party labs, SP holders, fillers and shippers of aerosols, cylinder re-qualifiers, nurse tanks, package manufacturers and high hazard entities (TIH). The biggest question is “why me?”. The inspectors show up if there has been a complaint, if the party is high risk (TIH), ongoing investigations, observations or there has been an incident history. Inspectors will observe the various processes, use of test equipment, training, records, closure instructions, shipping papers and MSDSs.

Some consistent problems encountered: no training records, failure to train, package closures, improper marks and labels, incorrect shipping papers, failure to register with PHMSA, and lack of security plans. Stats for 2010: 1,650 inspections, 42% OK – no further action required; 57% non-compliant and 1% waiting for test results.

Donna Lepik (CHEMTRC/TRANSCAER), David Binder (Tanner Industries) and Bill Burke (Dupont) did “Soup to Nutz”. This presentation dealt with the development of the TRANSCAER anhydrous ammonia training programme. To view this programme, go to http://www.transcaer.com/aa-tour. If you work with anhydrous ammonia, there is a wealth of information here.

For dangerous goods trainers, this is the symposium that you need to attend.

If you’re like me, falling leaves with shorter days and longer nights only preambles coming months of cold and snow. If you’re like most, you’re concerned about increased energy costs and how you’ll efficiently heat your home this winter. How to conserve energy while keeping warm during the colder months is a major concern for most energy conscious people. And most everyone has their view on which way is best. For wife and I, we have spent much money, time and hard work to weatherize our home with insulating and sealing materials and doors. We are gradually eliminating the energivores in our home with higher efficiency appliances and equipment – like our woodstove. Our most recent investment should benefit us with 70.1% efficiency with a heat output of 68000 BTUs for an area of 800 to 2000 ft2. Since it is Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) approved and certified, I should expect it to produce from 2 to 7 grams of smoke per hour. Compared to our old non EPA certified stove that released, I’m assuming, 15 to 30 grams of smoke per hour, we’ve taken a step in the right direction.

Wood burning stove

I’m happy with our decision to keep the electricity bill low and burn wood this winter in our new stove. How we’ll stay warm during those cold nights is one less concern. Though I know that smoke from burning organic matter (i.e. wood) is made up of a complex mixture of dangerous gases and particles. I also know that during our renovations a polyethylene plastic vapor barrier was installed on the warm side of the insulation in walls and ceiling. The house in effect, is now sealed in a plastic bag controlling air intake and leakage. With higher health concerns, despite expected lower emissions with our new stove, we started to question the advantages of wood as a heat source under conditions of enhanced building efficiency. Health wise, were we better off with our old stove in a drafty room?

A major health threat from wood smoke comes from the fine microscopic particles that can get into your eyes and respiratory system. The size of particles is directly linked to their potential for causing health problems. Small particles <10 micrometers in diameter pose the greatest problems, because they can get deep into the lungs, and some may even get into the bloodstream. Finer particles ≤2.5 micrometers in diameter can affect both your lungs and heart.

Residential wood combustion emissions also contain sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and potentially carcinogenic compounds including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, benzene, formaldehyde and dioxins. Of particular concern to me is carbon monoxide (CO) – an odorless, colorless gas that can cause sudden illness and death referred to infamously as “the silent killer”. Our red blood cells pick up CO quicker than they pick up oxygen. In fact, CO combines reversibly with the oxygen-carrying sites on the hemoglobin molecule with an affinity ranging from 210 to 240 times greater than that of oxygen. If there is a lot of CO in the air, the carboxyhemoglobin thus formed is unavailable to carry oxygen. This blocks oxygen from getting into the body (a condition known as tissue hypoxia) which can damage organ tissues and result in death. At lower concentrations, CO poisoning can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms mimic other illnesses like gastroenteritis (nausea and vomiting). Other most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, chest pain, confusion, loss of consciousness and death. High levels of CO inhalation can cause Cerebral edema (swelling of the brain) symptoms of which are delayed neurological problems that involve the “higher” or cognitive functions, and may cause a Parkinson-like brain syndrome. People who are sleeping or intoxicated can die from CO poisoning before ever experiencing symptoms.

To protect us from CO poisoning, I purchased a CO alarm that features a digital display which shows levels of CO in PPM (parts per million). The model I selected operates on an electrochemical sensor which has advantages over other technologies in that it has a highly sensitive and accurate linear output to CO concentration. Since it requires electrical power in continuous supply, it plugs into a 120V, 15 amp wall receptacle not controlled by a switch or dimmer. I made sure the CO alarm had a self-recharging battery backup that offers continuous protection in case of a power failure. The location of the electrical outlet is important. It must be heard from sleeping and living areas, making the hallway outside our bedroom the ideal place. The vapor density of CO with respect to air (Air = 1), at 1 atmosphere and 21°C (70°F), is 0.968. Since the vapor density of CO is roughly that of air, installing the alarm on the wall at eye level allows for optimum monitoring of the digital display.

Satisfied with the quality of my CO alarm’s technology and location of its installation, performance specifications became my next issue. I made sure it was tested and certified under an accredited independent product safety certification organization. The standards organizations of the United States, Underwriters Laboratories (UL), and Canada, Canadian Standards Association (CSA), have coordinated the writing of CO standards and product testing under standards UL2034 – Single Station Carbon Monoxide Alarm and CAN/CSA-6.19-01 (R2006) – Residential Carbon Monoxide Alarming Devices. The following table summarizes these safety standards for CO alarms.

Knowing that safety standards are developed through consensus by committees of affected stakeholders that may include representatives from industry, governments, academia and the public interest, mine became a mission of inquisition how well this CO alarm device would protect my home’s occupants. I started by researching the several government and professional organizations that have posted recommended exposure limits to CO (mostly for the work place). The following table summarizes what I found.

In reviewing this latter table, keep in mind that a Time-Weighted Average (TWA), unless otherwise specified, is for a normal 8-hour workday or 40-hour workweek. In an average week, we spend more than 23% of our time at home. Remember too that a Ceiling limit is one that may not be exceeded for any period of time, and an Excursion Limit (EL) is an ACGIH term that refers to the Ceiling limit for a short period of time (typically 15 – 30 minutes).

Comparing these two tables, my conclusions are not comforting – the concentrations per the standards (supposedly intended to protect us) are significantly in excess of the health guidelines. Further questioning revealed that, as of 2010, these most recent standards require the alarm to sound at higher levels of CO than with previous editions of the standard! The reason behind these changes (the prohibition of showing CO levels <30ppm on digital displays, and new alarms will not sound at CO concentrations up to 70ppm) is to reduce calls to fire stations, utilities and emergency response teams when the levels of CO are not life threatening. This change was also intended to reduce the number of calls to these agencies due to detector inaccuracy or the presence of other gases.

Low-level CO detection products are becoming commercially available. They will not be certified to CSA or UL standards, as these standards currently (as I’ve shown above) prohibit low-level displays. CO alarms with a digital display and a “history” option can provide the true CO concentrations in a house. A low-level display would be useful for people with existing respiratory problems or for those who like to spot evolving problems, rather than having to wait for the situation to become serious.

Now that my home is weatherized, more energy efficient, it is also more sensitive to depressurization when air is exhausted from the house. Because it’s tightly sealed, there are few holes to allow replacement air to enter, and the house pressure becomes negative compared to atmospheric pressure outside. This negative pressure works against chimney draft. Pollutants from fireplaces and woodstoves with no dedicated outdoor air supply can be “back-drafted” from the chimney into the living space, particularly in weatherized homes. As it turns out, the simplest solution is often the best – a directly-ducted source of outdoor air, only enough to compensate for air removed by continuously operating woodstoves for combustion.