Avoiding Bad Gas – Tips for Preventing Breathing-Gas Contamination

Incidents involving bad breathing gas—air, nitrox, trimix or another mixture—are rare, yet they do occur. Health effects on divers vary depending on the contaminant breathed. Among the most severe symptoms of breathing contaminated gas are impaired judgment and loss of consciousness, both of which may be deadly underwater.

Tech and Training
DAN

Sources of contamination include hydrocarbons from compressor lubricants, carbon monoxide (CO) from engine exhaust (or overheated compressor oil) and impurities from the surrounding environment such as methane and carbon dioxide (CO2). Dust particles in breathing gas can also be hazardous, potentially impairing respiratory function or damaging diving equipment. Excessive moisture can cause corrosion in scuba cylinders and other dive gear and may cause regulators to freeze due to adiabatic cooling (heat loss following increased gas volume).

Nardi TT-Mix

Spotted at the recent TekDiveUSA conference, Nardi Compressori’s TT-Mixing panel (photo at right shows near identical N-Mix) produces ready trimix gases simply by keying the blend on the touchscreen.

Compressors
Nardi

According to the presentation, the panel can even analyse leftover gases in used tanks and calculate how to top them off with a new blend according to specs, minimising the loss of expensive gases while calculating the price for the fill. The panel, which can be remotedly controlled with an app, weighs 13kg and comes with brackets for easy mounting

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