On May 17th, 2020, twelve firefighters were injured after an explosion occurred at a facility where butane is used for cannabis extraction. It is not yet known if butane was the cause of the explosion but, it was reported that, butane canisters where found in and around the building. The investigation is ongoing.
According to a Politico article, following an uptick in explosions in Colorado, fire officials there persuaded the National Fire Protection Association, which establishes a fire code for the whole country, to amend its rules to address hazards at facilities that grow and extract marijuana. The revised code requires any hazardous extraction process to be performed in a non-combustible room, in a building that contains no child or health care facilities. Staff must be trained on safe operation of the extraction equipment, and the extraction room must be equipped with a gas detection system and multiple fire extinguishing systems.
Extraction
Extraction is a process by which desired chemical compounds are extracted and separated from the cannabis plant. Extraction strips the plant of essential oils, including CBD, THC, and terpenes (aromatic oils that give cannabis plants their distinctive scents). The extracted oils can be utilized in vape pens, edibles, capsules, tinctures, and topical solutions.
Butane is one technique used to separate essential oils from the plant material. The use of butane for extraction is popular owing, in large part, to the relatively low overhead costs, efficiency (including the wide variety of products that can be created from a single extraction, without the need for further refinement), and high product quality associated with this technique. For instance, the low boiling point of butane allow extractors to remove the desired compounds without risking evaporation of, or damage to, the delicate and heat-sensitive cannabinoids and terpenes. Moreover, the low boiling point makes it relatively easy to purge any residual butane at the end of the extraction process, leaving behind only a relatively pure product.
Gas Detection Monitors Can Protect Extractors and Their Employees
While butane is important for extracting essential oils from cannabis plants use of this gas is not without risk, since extraction facility personnel and property are exposed to potential leaks from gas supply lines and storage containers. Butane is highly flammable and explosive gas as well.  Absent appropriate gas monitoring, an explosion can occur if butane vapors are ignited by a spark, heat, or open flame.
Proper gas detection equipment should be placed where the cannabis extraction process takes place, as well as in butane storage rooms, and in any other site where butane may be expected to accumulate. The gas detection equipment should include the capacity to activate visual and audible alarms, stopping the flow of gas and turning on the ventilation system.
PureAire Monitors
PureAire Monitoring Systems has safety monitors to meet the needs of cannabis extractors using butane. Extractors utilizing butane rely on PureAire’s LEL, explosion-proof, combustible gas monitors. The monitor is housed in a NEMA 4 enclosure specifically designed to prevent an explosion. The durable, long-life LEL catalytic sensor will last 5+ years without needing to be replaced.

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PureAire monitors feature an easy to read screen, which displays current levels for at-a-glance observation by employees, who derive peace of mind from the monitor’s presence and reliable performance. In the event of a gas leak, PureAire’s monitors will set off alarms, complete with horns and flashing lights, alerting personnel to evacuate the area. At the same time, the monitors can be programmed to turn off the flow of butane and turn on the ventilation system.
In short, PureAire’s monitors enable cannabis extractors, in a cost-effective manner, to preserve both the quality of their products and the well-being of their employees.

On January 31, 2020, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) declared a public health emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Shortly thereafter, hand sanitizer began to disappear from U.S. retailers’ shelves, as anxious consumers (and, unfortunately, opportunistic hoarders and resellers as well) swept up all available stock. In the ensuing months, traditional hand sanitizer producers have found it impossible to keep up with the greatly elevated demand for their products, which are now considered indispensable items in efforts to control the pandemic’s spread.
Seeking to address the supply-demand imbalance currently existing within the hand sanitizer industry, the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) issued several industry guidance documents in March of this year (with updates later that month and in April) permitting, within specified parameters, entities not previously engaged in sanitizer manufacturing to produce, on a temporary basis (i.e., for the duration of the public health emergency declared by the HHS Secretary in January of this year) either alcohol-based sanitizers themselves or the ethanol typically used as a key pharmaceutical ingredient in such sanitizers.
The industry guidance documents (all of which can be found on the FDA’s website and should be read in their entirety) contemplate that such new, albeit temporary, producers of hand sanitizers (or ethanol for hand sanitizers) might include pharmacists/drug compounders and alcohol production firms (that is, distillers of alcoholic spirits for human consumption), as well as certain other businesses capable of meeting the FDA’s stringent conditions regarding hand sanitizer ingredients and manufacturing processes, as well as its registration and product listing requirements.
Since the FDA first issued its industry guidance documents in March, numerous entities and individuals have begun production of hand sanitizers (or ethanol for hand sanitizers) to address the supply gap resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. New (albeit temporary) industry participants include manufacturing enterprises, licensed pharmacists, and distillers of alcoholic beverages. Reportedly, over 200 American distilleries (which, obviously, have deep experience in working with ethanol) have registered their facilities with the FDA pursuant to the relevant industry guidance documents.
Ethanol(a/k/a Ethyl Alcohol)
Ethanol is a clear, colorless, and (according to most people) relatively pleasant-smelling liquid made from a variety of feedstocks, including grains and crops high in sugar content, such as sorghum, corn, barley, sugar beets, and sugar cane. While it may be best known as the alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, when ethanol has been denatured (that is, made unfit for human consumption by adding certain other chemicals to it, which also make the odor unappealing), it also has many other commercial applications, including as a fuel additive, industrial solvent, key component of cosmetics and personal care items, and as the active pharmaceutical ingredient in certain disinfecting products, including hand sanitizers.
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Keeping Safe While Working with Ethanol
Ethanol is highly combustible, with a low flash point, making leaks (including vapor emissions) potentially quite dangerous, and threats from accidental ignition very serious indeed. To detect, and protect against, risks emanating from leaks or excessive concentrations of ethanol, best practices include placing gas detection monitors, containing visual and audible alarms, in areas where ethanol is used or stored.
PureAire Monitors
PureAire Monitoring Systems’ Combustible Gas Monitor (LEL) offers continuous readings of ethanol (and can also be programmed to detect isopropyl alcohol, ethane, ethylene, and methyl alcohol). The monitor features an easy to read screen, which displays current ethanol levels for at-a-glance observation by employees, who derive peace of mind from the monitor’s presence and reliable performance. In the event of a leak or buildup of gas to an unsafe level, the monitor will set off an alarm, complete with horns and flashing lights, alerting personnel to evacuate the area. At the same time, the monitor can be programmed to turn on the ventilation system.
PureAire’s Combustible Gas Monitor (LEL) is housed in a NEMA 4 explosion-proof enclosure suitable for Class1, groups B, C, and D.The enclosure is specifically designed to prevent an explosion. The monitor is well suited for facilities that produce alcohol-based hand sanitizers, as well as alcohol distilleries, ethanol refineries, chemical plants, and any location where monitoring is required for combustible gases.
PureAire’s durable, long-life LEL catalytic sensor will last 5-6 years in a normal environment without needing to be replaced.

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In 1996, California passed Proposition 215, making it the first of many states to ultimately legalize medical cannabis; as of January 2020, an additional 32 states and the District of Columbia have also made medical cannabis legal. Additionally, recreational use of cannabis is now legal in 11 states and is decriminalized in many others. Cannabis legalization and decriminalization have made cannabidiol (“CBD”, a non-psychoactive compound found in cannabis), and tetrahydrocannabinol(“THC”, the chemical responsible for most of cannabis’ mind-altering effects), available to both recreational users and patients seeking treatment for such health issues as arthritis, anxiety, inflammation, seizure disorders, and nausea.
Since California’s groundbreaking move in 1996, medical and recreational cannabis has become a significant and rapidly growing industry. According to DC-based cannabis researcher, New Frontier Data, legal cannabis sales in the U.S. are expected to reach $30 billion annually by 2025. The industry growth has led to a substantial increase in grow rooms, medical dispensaries and other retail outlets, and extraction facilities.
Extraction
Extraction is a process by which desired chemical compounds are extracted and separated from the cannabis plant. Extraction strips the plant of essential oils, including CBD, THC, and terpenes (aromatic oils that give cannabis plants their distinctive scents). The extracted oils can be utilized in vape pens, edibles, capsules, tinctures, and topical solutions. Based on the end product, various techniques can be used for extracting the oils, including carbon dioxide (CO2) extraction and hydrocarbon solvent extraction (using solvents such as butane or propane).
Carbon Dioxide Extraction
Carbon dioxide, high pressure, and heat can be combined to create a “supercritical fluid” that extracts cannabis components from the plant. The CO2 extraction method generally produces high yields with relatively little waste. Temperatures and pressures can be adjusted to create multiple products including vaporizer oils; dabbing concentrates such as so-called waxes, crumble, shatters, and saps; and distillates (cannabis extracts that have been further purified and processed to separate and isolate the various cannabinoids, which include CBD and THC). Because CO2 evaporates on its own, many in the medical products and food and beverage industries find the CO2 extraction method appealing, since no residual carbon dioxide remains in the final manufactured product.
Hydrocarbon Solvents Extraction
Hydrocarbon extraction typically uses organic solvents such as butane and propane to separate essential oils from the plant material. The use of hydrocarbons for extraction is popular owing, in large part, to the relatively low overhead costs, efficiency (including the wide variety of products that can be created from a single extraction, without the need for further refinement), and high product quality associated with this technique. For instance, the low boiling point of butane, and even lower boiling point of propane, allow extractors to remove the desired compounds without risking evaporation of, or damage to, the delicate and heat-sensitive cannabinoids and terpenes. Moreover, their low boiling points makes it relatively easy to purge any residual butane or propane at the end of the extraction process, leaving behind only a relatively pure product.
Oxygen Monitors Can Protect Extractors and Their Employees
 While CO2 and hydrocarbon solvents are important techniques for extracting essential oils from cannabis plants use of these gases is not without risk, since extraction facility personnel and property are exposed to potential leaks from gas supply lines and storage containers.
Carbon dioxide is an oxygen-depleting gas that is both odorless and colorless. As such, absent appropriate monitoring to detect that a leak has occurred, extraction employees could become dizzy, lose consciousness, and even suffocate from breathing oxygen-deficient air. Hydrocarbons such as butane and propane also deplete oxygen and, they are flammable and explosive as well.
Proper gas detection equipment should be placed where the cannabis extraction process takes place, as well as in CO2 and hydrocarbon storage rooms, and in any other site where CO2, butane, and propane may be expected to accumulate. The gas detection equipment should include the capacity to activate visual and audible alarms, stopping the flow of gas and turning on the ventilation system.
PureAire Monitors
PureAire Monitoring Systems has safety monitors to meet the needs of cannabis extractors, whether they use CO2 or hydrocarbon solvents.
For facilities using carbon dioxide to extract their products, PureAire’s line of dual oxygen/carbon dioxide monitors offer thorough air monitoring, with no time-consuming maintenance or calibration required. The O2/CO2 monitor comes with user-adjustable alarm setpoints for both oxygen and carbon dioxide. The monitor is built with zirconium oxide sensor cells and non-dispersive infrared sensor (NDIR)cells, to ensure longevity.PureAire’s O2/CO2 monitors can last, trouble-free, for over 10 years under normal operating conditions.

Extractors utilizing hydrocarbon solvents, such as butane or propane, rely on PureAire’s LEL, explosion-proof, combustible gas monitors. The monitor is housed in a NEMA 4 enclosure specifically designed to prevent an explosion. The durable, long-life LEL catalytic sensor will last 5+ years without needing to be replaced.
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PureAire monitors feature an easy to read screen, which displays current oxygen levels for at-a-glance observation by employees, who derive peace of mind from the monitor’s presence and reliable performance. In the event of a gas leak, or a drop in oxygen to an unsafe OSHA action level, PureAire’s monitors will set off alarms, complete with horns and flashing lights, alerting personnel to evacuate the area. At the same time, the monitors can be programmed to turn off the flow of gas (CO2, butane, or propane, as appropriate), and turn on the ventilation system.
In short, PureAire’s monitors enable cannabis extractors, in a cost-effective manner, to preserve both the quality of their products and the well-being of their employees.

Overview

Vehicles powered by gasoline and diesel account for emissions of dangerous air pollutants and contribute to the presence of greenhouse gases. Consumers, businesses, and public entities looking for environmentally friendly alternatives to gasoline and diesel-powered cars and trucks have viable choices beyond the well-known battery electric and plug-in hybrid electric variants.  Other options in use today include vehicles powered by natural gas, as well as, on a more limited basis, those powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

Natural Gas Vehicles
Natural gas can be used to power all classes of vehicles, including motorcycles, cars, vans, public transit buses, light and heavy-duty trucks, etc.  Most natural gas vehicles (NGVs) run on either compressed natural gas (CNG), which is typically used for light-duty vehicles (such as motorcycles, cars, taxi cabs, and light trucks), or liquified natural gas (LNG), used in heavy-duty vehicle applications (including public buses, garbage trucks, and the like).

CNG vehicles store natural gas in tanks, where the fuel remains in a gaseous state. Vehicles using LNG can typically hold more fuel than those using CNG, because the fuel is stored as a liquid, making its energy density greater than that of CNG. That makes LNG well-suited for heavy duty commercial trucks requiring the greatest possible driving range. Regardless, because of the lower density of natural gas (whether CNG or LNG), the driving range of NGVs is generally less than that of comparable vehicles powered by gasoline or diesel.

As such, and excluding the commercial and municipal fleet sectors, where fuel sources can be assured, confidence in ability to timely access refueling stations must be a concern for drivers (or potential drivers) of NGVs.

The first vehicles converted to utilize natural gas appeared in the late 1930s, though most of the rapid growth in NGV usage has taken place in recent years. According to the Natural Gas Vehicle Knowledge Base, there are over 27 million NGVs currently on the road worldwide (compared with as few as 1 million as recently as 2000), with over 70% of the present total in the Asia-Pacific region (and only about 225 thousand in North America as of 4/30/2019).

In addition to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions inherent in choosing natural gas over conventional gasoline and diesel fuels, some businesses and municipalities seeking to meaningfully reduce reliance on fossil fuels are going even further, by focusing on renewable natural gas (RNG), including gas derived from decaying garbage, to power
vehicles subject to their authorities.  Indeed, in May 2019, the City of Seattle, Washington announced that the trash truck fleet servicing Seattle will now include some 91 Waste Management vehicles powered by RNG generated by decaying trash from U.S. landfills.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles

Importantly for the environment, hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) produce no tailpipe emissions.  Fuel cell technology has been around since at least the late 1950s, when Allis-Chalmers tested an FCEV farm tractor, followed some years later by GM’s prototype hydrogen FCEV Electrovan in 1966.  FCEVs use a propulsion system whereby energy, stored as pure hydrogen gas, is converted to electricity by a fuel cell.

Initially, the fuel cells and associated piping were quite bulky (reducing the 6-seat GM Electrovan from a 6-seat van to a 2-seater that could barely accommodate 2 adult passengers), heavy (reducing range and acceleration, such that the Electrovan, which was never produced for sale, had a top speed and range of  only about 70 mph and 120 miles, respectively), and too expensive to mass produce.  As a result, meaningful FCEV production has lagged until well into the 21st century, when technological innovations have at last begun to make it possible for the FCEV concept to become a functioning reality.

Though FCEVs, and the hydrogen fueling infrastructure (i.e., stations equipped to pump hydrogen gas) necessary to support them, remain in a relatively early stage of development, certain major automobile manufacturers (including Honda, Hyundai, Toyota) are now offering a limited number of FCEVs to the public in certain markets (chiefly within California) where hydrogen refueling infrastructure is already in place, and passenger FCEVs currently in service now have a driving range between refueling of some 300 miles.

However, until retail refueling infrastructure shows a marked increase, most of the anticipated growth in hydrogen FCEV usage is likely to come from the municipal and commercial fleet sectors. By way of example, Toyota and Kenworth have recently announced development of a 10-vehicle zero emissions heavy-duty FCEV truck fleet to be put into service at the Port of Los Angeles.

Refueling and Maintaining Alternative Fuel Vehicles

While far fewer in number, refueling stations and equipment for vehicles powered by natural gas (approximately 1,900 service stations in North America) and hydrogen (no more than 50 service stations in North America, mostly in California, can accommodate hydrogen FCEVs) are similar in appearance to conventional gas stations and pumps, with large tanks from which drivers pump into their vehicles either natural gas, on the one hand, or hydrogen on the other.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, proper maintenance of NGVs requires that the fuel storage tanks be inspected regularly, following accidents, or when there has been suspected damage.  NGV users must also be aware of end-of-life dates of their tanks, so that the tanks can be properly decommissioned as and when appropriate. Moreover, fuel filters should be inspected and, if necessary, replaced on a yearly basis.

Hydrogen FCEVs are maintained in much the same way as any other electric vehicle, including scheduled maintenance, and, if necessary, replacement of electric components and suspension parts. For a major overhaul, a vehicle will need to be serviced at a so-called “hardened shop”, at which there are specific requirements, including the presence of combustible gas monitors, curtains around the work area, and explosion-proof lighting fixtures.
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Gas Detection Monitors Can Improve Safety in Alternative Fuels Servicing Facilities