This recommendation follows reported incidents where pipes have failed and stores have been evacuated while fire-fighters using breathing apparatus have cleared the CO2 gas cloud.
Rising levels of CO2 can have an increasingly dangerous effects on the human body. Initial symptoms can include an increased breathing rate, dizziness, tiredness and headaches. Levels above 5% can lead to unconsciousness, suffocation and potentially death.
CO2 refrigerant is often piped under high pressure from an outside store to refrigeration areas, and there is a risk that CO2 pipes would pass through enclosed or confined areas, such as office space.
The manufacturer comments that, while Carbon dioxide has many uses in our everyday lives, it is important to remember that there is a health risk to humans’ in the event of a leak, since as the gas is odorless and colorless it cannot be detected without appropriate equipment.”
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