Ethylene oxide sterilises what heat would damage, and it is toxic, flammable and a carcinogen with little smell at hazardous levels. Fixed detectors around the sterilisers, aeration rooms and cylinder store alarm locally and keep a record of every excursion, sent over cellular.
It is treated as an occupational carcinogen, so limits sit near the bottom of the detector range.
Sterilised goods release it in the aeration room and in storage after the cycle ends.
Nobody can rely on noticing it.
| Target gas | Ethylene oxide (C2H4O) |
|---|---|
| Selectable ranges | 0-50 / 100 / 200 / 500 / 1000 ppm |
| Mounting height | Low, 0.3 to 0.6 m above floor level: the gas is heavier than air |
| Where the detectors go | At steriliser doors and unloading areas; in aeration rooms; at the cylinder store and the gas supply |
| Outputs | Two alarm relays, 4-20 mA and RS485 Modbus RTU, all at once |
| Reporting | RS485 into a Genesis controller, then over cellular to alerts and a record |
The detector relays switch the fan, close the valve or sound the beacon locally, with no network involved.
The same reading goes over cellular to the people on the alert list, wherever they are, with acknowledgement recorded.
Concentration, time and duration are kept on a record that exports to Excel, for the incident review and the next inspection.
The lowest range that still covers the highest concentration expected, chosen with the exposure limits that apply at the site.
The NIOSH Pocket Guide lists a recommended exposure limit of Ca TWA <0.1 ppm (0.18 mg/m³) C 5 ppm (9 mg/m³) [10-min/day], an OSHA permissible exposure limit of [1910.1047] TWA 1 ppm 5 ppm [15-minute Excursion] and an IDLH of Ca [800 ppm]. These are United States values; set alarm points against the rules that apply at your site.
Which gases, how many points, where they sit and what they report into. We come back with the cells, the ranges and the positions.
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