Vehicle Pollutants:A Study of Carbon Monoxide Emissions

of Vehicles in a Confined SpaceBy Ridge Reid and Riley Sutton

What is Carbon Monoxide?• Carbon monoxide (CO) is a

colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas which is toxic to humans

• It is common in the industrial setting, and is created by the combustion of materials which contain carbon.

• Examples of these materials are gasoline, kerosene, propane, wood, or coal.

How does Carbon Monoxide affect the human Body?

Prevention of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

• Poisoning can be prevented if proper precautions are taken.

• Ventilation. Use appropriate facemask in areas of poor ventilation.

• Good housekeeping and maintenance.

• Don’t use gas powered equipment in a confined space. When working in a confined space, try to use equipment powered by electricity, batteries, or compressed air.

Carbon Monoxide Exposures According to CDC

• Carbon monoxide is the leading unintentional poisoning deaths in the U.S

• 2000-2009 Statistics

• NPDS – National Poison Data System

• Most exposures in Midwest and North East

cdc.gov

Standards Concerning Carbon Monoxide

• According to the NIOSH Pocket Guide:

• The OSHA PEL is 50 ppm.

• The IDLH of CO is set at 1200 ppm.

Objective of the Project

• The purpose of this project was to determine if carbon monoxide levels produced by a car would reach dangerous levels inside a garage.

• We hypothesized CO levels would reach a dangerous concentration after a certain amount of time.

The Setup

The Cars

1992 Pontiac BonnevilleMileage: 126,911Engine: 3.8 L V6Catalytic Converter: Yes

2009 Scion xBMileage: 49,500Engine: 2.4L 4-CylinderCatalytic Converter: Yes

2012 Toyota Camry SEMileage: 22,000Engine: 2.5L 4-CylinderCatalytic Converter: Yes

The Garage

CO Analysis on Scion xB Test 1 CO Analysis on Scion xB Test

PPM PPM

Time Back Front Time Back Front

5 OL 0 5 786 0

10 OL 0 10 OL 0

15 OL 0 15 OL 0

20 OL 0 20 OL 0

25 OL 0 25 OL 0

30 OL 0 30 OL 0

1:00 114 6 1:00 300 0

1:30 77 7 1:30 250 0

2:00 49 9 2:00 239 0

2:30 33 10 2:30 220 0

3:00 29 10 3:00 200 0

3:30 31 8 3:30 155 8

4:00 21 13 4:00 130 12

4:30 25 16 4:30 110 16

5:00 28 19 5:00 100 21

5:30 24 18 5:30 85 20

6:00 27 20 6:00 60 20

6:30 28 19 6:30 40 18

7:00 30 20 7:00 35 16

7:30 35 21 7:30 30 16

8:00 30 21 8:00 30 15

8:30 25 21 8:30 30 15

9:00 25 21 9:00 28 16

9:30 22 20 9:30 27 15

10:00 21 20 10:00 25 15

10:30 23 21 10:30 23 15

11:00 23 21 11:00 23 15

11:30 28 21 11:30 26 15

12:00 29 21 12:00 23 15

12:30 33 20 12:30 25 16

13:00 34 21 13:00 28 15

13:30 35 21 13:30 27 15

CO Analysis on Bonneville Test 1

CO Analysis on Bonneville Test 2

CO (PPM) CO (PPM)  

Time Back Front Time Back Front  

5 70 0 5 74 0  

10 80 0 10 80 0  

15 95 0 15 100 0  

20 104 0 20 109 0  

25 127 0 25 115 0  

30 145 0 30 129 0  

1:00 176 0 1:00 173 0  

1:30 126 0 1:30 210 0  

2:00 92 0 2:00 120 0  

2:30 65 0 2:30 71 0  

3:00 40 0 3:00 41 0  

3:30 24 0 3:30 30 0  

4:00 21 4 4:00 21 0  

4:30 19 6 4:30 17 0  

5:00 15 5 5:00 15 5  

5:30 14 6 5:30 13 5  

6:00 13 6 6:00 12 5  

6:30 11 6 6:30 11 5  

7:00 11 6 7:00 10 5  

7:30 11 8 7:30 10 5  

8:00 11 8 8:00 10 5  

8:30 11 8 8:30 10 5  

9:00 11 8 9:00 10 5  

9:30 11 8 9:30 10 5  

10:00 11 8 10:00 10 6  

10:30 11 8 10:30 10 6  

11:00 11 9 11:00 10 6  

11:30 11 8 11:30 10 6  

12:00 11 8 12:00 10 6  

12:30 11 8 12:30 10 6  

13:00 11 8 13:00 10 6  

13:30 10 8 13:30 10 6  

14:00 10 9 14:00 10 6  

14:30 10 8 14:30 10 6  

15:00 10 9 15:00 10 6  

CO Analysis on Camry SE Test 1

CO Analysis on Camry SE Test 2

CO (PPM) CO (PPM)Time Back Front Time Back Front

5 169 0 5 216 010 33 0 10 89 015 20 0 15 58 020 12 0 20 39 025 5 0 25 30 030 5 0 30 24 0

1:00 5 0 1:00 10 01:30 5 0 1:30 5 02:00 5 0 2:00 5 02:30 5 0 2:30 8 03:00 5 0 3:00 9 03:30 8 0 3:30 10 04:00 8 0 4:00 10 04:30 8 0 4:30 5 05:00 5 0 5:00 10 05:30 8 0 5:30 8 06:00 8 0 6:00 6 06:30 8 0 6:30 6 07:00 8 0 7:00 6 07:30 8 0 7:30 6 08:00 8 0 8:00 5 08:30 8 0 8:30 6 09:00 8 0 9:00 6 09:30 8 0 9:30 6 0

10:00 8 0 10:00 6 010:30 8 0 10:30 5 011:00 7 0 11:00 5 011:30 8 0 11:30 6 012:00 8 0 12:00 6 012:30 7 0 12:30 6 013:00 8 0 13:00 6 013:30 8 0 13:30 6 014:00 8 0 14:00 6 014:30 8 0 14:30 6 015:00 8 0 15:00 6 0

Testing Budget

• The budget for testing was inexpensive.

• No data was required to be sent off for testing.

• The BW GasAlert Microclips were provided by Oklahoma State University free of charge.

• Normally the Microclips would run around $360 a piece.

• No personal protective equipment was required.

Recommendations

• There were no hazards found during our testing.

• The CO levels were below the OSHA PEL of 50 ppm, and therefore no action is required.

• Still, it may be wise for individuals to avoid the rear of the car when it is started.

• CO levels were recorded at over 1000 ppm momentarily after startup.

Works Cited

• Häggström, Mikael. "File:Main Symptoms of Carbon Dioxide Toxicity.svg." Wikimedia Commons. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2009.

• "OSHA Violations - Top in 2013 & Other OSHA Facts." OSHA Violations - Top in 2013 & Other OSHA Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014. <http://www.safetytrainingservices.net/sts-blog/bid/326402/OSHA- Violations-Top-in-2013-Other-OSHA-Facts>.