Working with nitrogen can be a very risky job. There are many safety regulations in place because of the many hazards of nitrogen. The biggest problems that can be caused by nitrogen have to do with the liquid state of this gas. For the gas nitrogen to become a liquid you need to cool it to around -196 degrees Celsius. That’s where the problem arises. Because it reaches such low temperatures anything coming into contact with liquid nitrogen will freeze, that’s why this is considered to be a cryogenic fluid which will rapidly freeze living tissue, and why it has been placed on the UN hazardous substance list. Nitrogen can be hazardous in gas form as well but only if the amount of oxygen in the air gets too low. In this case it may cause asphyxiation. At the same time, nitrogen is associated with various problems occurring in scuba diving at very low depths. Therefore there’s no wonder why so many safety regulations are in place when handling nitrogen. But let’s get more specific and see exactly what the biggest hazards when dealing with nitrogen are:

1.    It is a simple asphyxiate. When found in a slightly more than usual concentration in the air, nitrogen can produce asphyxia in humans. This happens especially when nitrogen gas builds up in a confined space. This is one of the hazards of nitrogen which will not be lethal if the problem is caught in time or if there is a first aid team on hand to immediately assist the victim. Since that is not always the case, this nitrogen build up can turn out to have dire consequences.

2.    High buildup of nitrogen gas can lead to death. In extreme cases where nitrogen has built up to a critical mass, it will be deadly. Again, its effects on the human body will lead to asphyxia, which will eventually lead to death. The big problem with nitrogen gas is the fact that if the leak is small and nitrogen gradually builds up, the victim is very possible to be unaware of the danger. That is because nitrogen is tasteless, colorless and odorless, which makes it impossible to detect without specialized equipment. Nitrogen gas becomes deadly when it displaces oxygen, and subsequently reduces the concentration of oxygen to less than 20% as usual to below 6%, which will cause the victim to go into a coma in less than 40 seconds.

3.    Freezes live tissue in liquid form. As I have said one of the most common injuries that can occur when handling liquid nitrogen is the freezing of tissue especially on your extremities. This is not so uncommon, especially because liquid nitrogen has become a widely used in high class restaurants for preparing various types of ice cream or deserts. The injuries sustained when coming in direct contact with liquid nitrogen are very similar to frostbite, the only difference consisting in the time it takes for it to occur.

4.    Decompression sickness. Another of the many hazards of nitrogen can be found in deep sea diving. Nitrogen can be found in the human body in a proportion of 3%. Because of the high pressure that can be found when diving lower than 10 m, everything in your body will be contracted. If you surface too abruptly, the compressed nitrogen gas will depressurize and turn into bubbles lodging itself in different parts of the body. The most painful are the bubbles lodged in joints or in the spine.

5.    Nitrogen narcosis. Another of the hazards of nitrogen that involve deep sea diving is nitrogen narcosis. The causes are similar, the rapid change in pressure from the deep water, to the surface, and causes nitrogen bubbles to form in the brain. They are responsible for hallucinations and the only way to cure this illness is to spend time in a decompression chamber right after you surface.

6.    Swallowing liquid nitrogen. Of course one big danger of liquid nitrogen is accidental swallowing. This could lead to consistent injuries along your entire food tract, especially of the esophagus and the stomach.

7.    Prolonged exposure to nitrogen gas in non-lethal concentrations. Nitrogen is found in air with a percentage of maximum 78% under normal condition. Prolonged exposure to a higher yet non-lethal concentration will eventually cause serious health problems.

There are many hazards of nitrogen in all its aggregate states, from gas, to liquid to solid. The primary danger of nitrogen gas is the fact that it’s odorless, and you will not be able to detect when it reaches dangerous levels. When it comes to liquid nitrogen, the main problem is of course that it freezes live tissue when it comes in direct contact with it. All these hazards aside, nitrogen is one the most widely distributed elements in the entire universe and its applicability is almost endless.                        

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A big problem that can be found in any office building is mold. Mold in the workplace has become a source for certain types of disease, so building maintenance has become very important for many employees. The cause for mold is of course the infiltration of water inside the walls. Water becomes a hazard if a building has certain deficiencies in design, or if proper maintenance isn’t done. Some of these deficiencies include pour or badly executed hydro isolation, which will allow water from the earth to rise through the concrete structure because of the propriety called capillarity; water drainage that has not been thought out properly; and most of all condensation, especially in kitchens and bathrooms where warm water vapors rise to the ceiling and condense when they come into contact with the colder concrete. In addition to these deficiencies in design another big category of causes for mold in the workplace is pour building maintenance, and these include proper ventilation, fixing damaged parts such as drainage systems or plumbing, and noticing any damp or moist spots as soon as they appear, and not least of all, taking the necessary measures to fix the problem in a timely fashion.  

1.    Keep indoor humidity lower than 70%. The most important factor which encourages mold growth in any building is humidity. In order to combat mold in the workplace you should try to always keep the humidity indoor between 25% to maximum 65%. Of course humidity is not only a factor that encourages the development of mold, but at the same time a higher percentage causes discomfort to human beings. Controlling humidity can be done in many ways, using either specialized machines or, if the climate permits, just through simple ventilation.

2.    Make sure that the building has an adequate drainage system. Another big cause for mold in the workplace is a badly designed drainage system. Some specific problems include under dimensioning of the parts of the drainage system so it isn’t able to cope with some extraordinary weather conditions. Another problem that can be found in many buildings is that no drainage system has been placed under the earth on the perimeter of the building so that water will not be able to form and potentially sip in the foundations or the basement walls.

3.    Repair plumbing leaks. One of the most common causes in regards to building maintenance which end up in the appearance of mold in the workplace are plumbing leaks. These can become a big problem if the plumbing isn’t easily accessible and is buried deep behind walls. But at the same time any leak caused by faulty plumbing should be very visible, so that adequate measures can be taken with swiftness.    

4.    Perform regular building maintenance inspections. Building maintenance needs to be very high on the priority list in order to ensure a clean and safe working environment. Only through routine inspections can potential problems be found and fixed in time. This will end up saving you a lot of money if you think about what might have happened if the problem would have aggravated and the damaged it might have caused.

5.    Ventilate kitchens and bathrooms. Kitchens and bathrooms are usually the first places where mold will appear in any building. This is because of the fact that in the kitchen the variation in temperature and the presence of vapors do to cooking will provide exactly the right environment for the development of mold. In the bathroom the constant presence of water do to the nature of the function will also play a role in the development of mold. This is why these spaces need to be properly ventilated.

6.    Dry and clean wet or damp spots as soon as they’ve been discovered. One of the most important thing to remember when dealing with mold in the workplace is that quick action at the beginning of an infestation is crucial. Mold grows exponentially, so that even a day or two can be crucial in how much the mold can spread. Quick action is a necessity.

7.    Pinpointing areas where leaks have occurred. Areas that are prone to leaks both through faulty building design and through poor maintenance must be discovered and taken into account as problematic, so that special attention will be paid to them.

Mold in the workplace is not a minor problem as some think. Serious illnesses can develop because of pour building maintenance that leads to the development of mold. And removing mold should not be done except with specialized products or by professionals. Just whipping the mold off with a towel will only lead to the propagation of the spores which in turn will cause a bigger infestation later on.