Why do I need to use an Active Scavenger Breathing System?

C.O.S.S.H. and H & S require that staff are protected from exposure to waste nitrous oxide in the surgery environment.

Chronic exposure to nitrous oxide has been linked to occurences such as spontaneous abortion and reduced fertility.  The currrent recommended occupational limit of exposure is 100 ppm (parts per million) over an 8-hour TWA (Time Weighted Average).  This can only be achieved by use of the following; Active Scavenging (defined as a flow rate of 45 L/min at the nasal hood),  staff rotation and good surgery ventilation or room air changes (recommended 12-15 p/hour). A number of active scavenger breathing systems are available.  A paper published in 2002 stated "This study compared the effectiveness of three nitrous oxide scavenging systems; the Porter rtbwonm the Accutron and the Matrx, in actual time during use in a standardized mock treatment protocol that reflected clinical practice while minimizing the influence of confounding variables.  At every occasion during the procedure, the Porter brown scavenger system left the operatory with significantly less nitrous oxide than any of the other scavengers tested.  The Porter brown removed between 71% and 91% of the nitrous oxide compared to the control (no device)"

Ref: Clinical evaluation of the efficacy of three Nitrous Oxide Scavenging Units during Dental Treatment.  Certismo, Walton,

Hartzell, Farris.  Published in General Dentistry September/October 2002.

Please note:  A copy of the complete article is available upon request to Customer Services.