SAFETY CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING

TB 385-1

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY TECHNICAL BULLETIN

SAFETY

CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING

Department of the Army, Washington 25, D.C.

6 December 1956

Paragraph

General .....................................................................................................................................................

Control ......................................................................................................................................................

Severity of exposure .................................................................................................................................

Summary ..................................................................................................................................................

1. General. Carbon monoxide results from the incomplete combustion of carbonaceous fuels or other organic

matter. Automobile and motor exhaust in garages and shops is perhaps the best known source of carbon monoxide

exposures. But indoor operations performed near furnaces, stoves, forges and kilns which are improperly fired and are

located in poorly ventilated areas present equally serious potential health hazards. Carbon monoxide from indoor proof-

firing of ammunition has particular significance in many military installations.

2. Control. Exposures to carbon monoxide are usually most severe during the cold months when doors and

windows in buildings are usually closed. Consequently, unless control measures are based on winter operating

conditions, excessive atmospheric concentrations of carbon monoxide may result because of insufficient ventilation to

control the volume of combustion products being generated. The type and degree of control required must be

determined from an evaluation of each specific operation and location. If only one small engine is operated for a short

period of time in a large room of "X" cubic-foot volume, natural ventilation may be adequate to prevent an excessive

carbon monoxide concentration. However, if three or four engines are operated in the same room of "X" cubic-foot

volume, the amount of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere may rise to a dangerous level. Where natural ventilation is

not adequate because of the size and number of engines being operated simultaneously, mechanical-exhaust ventilation

may have to be installed. Gravity or mechanical exhaust tailpipe extensions are a common control

TAGO 3152B-Dec. 400482°-56