ASTM_E_2292_-_14.pdf

Designation:E229214Standard Guide forField Investigation of Carbon Monoxide PoisoningIncidents1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E2292;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This guide covers collection and preservation of infor-mation and physical evidence related to incidents involving thepoisoning of individuals by carbon monoxide.1.2 This guide is not intended to address the medical effectsof carbon monoxide exposure.1.3 This guide is not intended to be a guide for investigatingcarbon monoxide poisoning caused by hostile fires,or con-tamination in closed air systems or confined spaces.Guidanceon the investigation of carbon monoxide poisonings related tofire can be found in NFPA 921.1.4 This guide is not intended for an investigation whereequipment is removed from the incident site and conducted ina more controlled setting.1.5 This guide is intended to be used by a wide range ofinvestigators,including first responders,appliance techniciansand engineers.1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2E1459 Guide for Physical Evidence Labeling and RelatedDocumentationE2713 Guide to Forensic Engineering2.2 NFPA Standards:3NFPA 54 National Fuel Gas CodeNFPA 921 Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations2.3 UL Standards:4UL 2034 Single and Multiple Station Carbon MonoxideAlarms3.Significance and Use3.1 This guide is intended for use by individuals whoinvestigate incidents involving carbon monoxide poisoning.Ifthis guide is followed,the cause for the carbon monoxidepoisoning incident may be determined,and corrective actionmay be identified to prevent future incidents.3.2 When attempting to identify the source of carbonmonoxide,consider that it is produced at some level invirtually every fuel-burning engine,boiler,furnace,burner,stove or fire.All carbon-based fuels(for example,gasoline,diesel fuel,natural gas,propane,coal,wood,paper products,plastics)produce carbon monoxide as a result of incompletecombustion.When there is insufficient air for completecombustion,carbon monoxide can become a major product ofcombustion.In properly-operating combustion equipment,thelevel of carbon monoxide produced may be as little as ahundred parts per million or less(that is,0.01%).However,combustion with insufficient air can produce carbon monoxideconcentrations of 10 000 ppm to 100 000 ppm(that is,1 to 10%)or higher.3.3 Be aware of the effects of carbon monoxide on humansand pets.Carbon monoxide acts as a central nervous systemdepressant.With increasing concentration or time of exposure,or both,carbon monoxide will cause people to feel sleepy orsick,lose consciousness,and die.Carbon monoxide is espe-cially hazardous because it is colorless and odorless,providingno warning of its presence.When inhaled,carbon monoxidebinds with hemoglobin in the blood,creating carboxyhemo-globin(COHb).The affinity of carbon monoxide for hemoglo-bin is approximately 200 times greater than the affinity of1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E58 on ForensicEngineering and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E58.05 on IndustrialProcesses.Current edition approved Aug.1,2014.Published September 2014.Originallyapproved in 2003.Last previous edition approved in 2012 as E2292 04(2012).DOI:10.1520/E2292-14.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3Available from National Fire Protection Association(NFPA),1 BatterymarchPark,Quincy,MA 02169-7471,http:/www.nfpa.org.4Available from Underwriters Laboratories(UL),2600 N.W.Lake Rd.,Camas,WA 98607-8542,http:/.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 oxygen for hemoglobin.Therefore,the blood can accumulatedangerous levels of COHb,depriving the body of oxygen.3.4 Since there is the potential for investigators to becomevictims of elevated carbon monoxide levels themselves,ex-treme care should be taken to assure the safety of investigatorsand anyone else at risk of continuing carbon monoxideexposure.Carbon monoxide monitoring and measurementequipment is required to ensure life safety of those present,aswell as to determine the cause of the problem and its solution.4.Equipment4.1 The following is a listing of basic measurement equip-ment that may be useful in diagnosing a carbon mo