Venture Gulf Safety

Security Training
Centre
 Instructor

Course:
Chorine gas safe
Handling awareness
inline with Chlorine
Institute standard

2
 Learning Outcomes
• Introduction about chlorine gas
• Product Characteristics / Properties
• First Aid measures
• Storage and Transportation
• Preventive Measures
• PPE, APR, Airline Respirator
• SCBA demo
• Chlorine gas accidental releases / Type A / B kit
• Types of Detection Equipment
• Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
• Emergency Evacuation procedures / ERT
3
Response
Venture Gulf Training Center

Chlorine Gas

4
 Basic Chlorine Gas Training

Introduction
Every day lot of chemicals are being
handled.
Some chemicals are safe, some are toxic,
corrosive and even poisonous

5
 What is Chlorine gas?
Chlorine is a greenish yellow and smells like
bleach and reacts violently with petroleum
products such gasoline, diesel, oil and
solvents.
React also with carbon monoxide and other
combustion products to make them highly
toxic.
At normal pressure it is gas having a yellow
color but under pressure it is liquids but
amber color 6
 Chlorine typically comes in three forms:
• Chlorine gas — typically provided as a commercial
gas cylinder that contains liquefied chlorine under
pressure.
• Chlorine bleach solution — a solution of chlorine
and some caustic agent dissolved in water to form
sodium hypochlorite bleach.
• This bleach solution is typically provided in a range
of concentrations, depending on the application.
• Chlorine immobilized in a solid form — for example,
chlorine “pucks” containing sodium
trichloroisocyanurate, which releases chlorine when
mixed with water. 7
 Chlorine is Essential

• Critical Chemistry: integral component to the

manufacture of thousands of everyday products
• Safe and disease-free drinking water
• Used to produce 93% of top-selling U.S.
pharmaceuticals and medicines
• Used as germ-destroying disinfectant in homes,
healthcare and daycare facilities, restaurants,
etc.

8
 Chlorine is Essential

• Used to produce 86% of crop protection

chemicals and herbicides
• Used directly in about 40% of U.S. industries;
• Production of many plastics (vinyl, PVC, etc.)
which contribute to improved standard of living
• Used in renewable and clean energy, as well as
recycling industry

9
 Uses of chlorine

Inorganics Disinfection Solvents

19% 4% 4% Other
3%
Pulp and
Organics Paper
26% 2%

PVC
42%

10
 Chlorine vs Bleach

• Strong, pungent bleach-

like odor • Bleach odor
• Industrial use – shipped • Household use – aqueous
as compressed liquefied solution (some similar
gas solids)
• Moderate irritant
• Lethal exposure risk
• Chemical name: sodium
• Chemical name: chlorine hypochlorite
11
 Chemical Composition

It comprises of two atoms of

Chlorine and ; formula is
Cl2 (g)
H

12
Uses Of Chlorine
Water purification

13
PVC Plastic Manufacture

14
Chemical Intermediate

15
Sewage Treatment Plant

16
Metal precipitate

17
Chlorine is also used as a disinfectant in
the following

• Swimming pools
• Water treatment plants
• Bleach manufacturing
• Chemical production
• Pulp and paper industries
• Pool chemical products
• Cleaning products
• Mining processes

18
Properties of Chlorine Gas

19
 Properties of Chlorine

Yellow / amber color

Smell
• Pungent and suffocating, 1-3ppm can be recognized by nose
and preventive can be taken immediately and cause respiratory
injury from irritation to death.
20
CHLORINE PROPERTIES AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Chlorine Properties (liquid)

◆Clear amber color

◆1.5x heavier than water
◆Becomes a solid at -150º F (freezing point)
◆Becomes a gas at -29º F (boiling point)
◆High coefficient of expansion; 1 volume expands to approx.
460 volumes in gas phase
◆Has a vapor pressure at temperatures above its boiling
point, which increases rapidly with increasing temperature
◆Liquid chlorine at atmospheric pressure is very, very cold

Occidental Petroleum Qatar, Ltd.

 Chlorine Properties (gas)

• Faint yellowish color at low concentrations

• Green/yellow at high concentrations
• Not visible below approx. 25 ppm (dependent on
humidity)
• Gas pressure of chlorine inside a container is
directly proportional to temperature of the gas
• Do not spray water directly on a leak - water and
chlorine combine to be very corrosive to steel and
could make the leak worse

22
 Properties of Chlorine
Heavier than Air
• Vapour density is 2.5 / 35.5
g/molecule heavier than air so has
a tendency to settle down or
remain at ground level in case of
leakage

23
Properties of Chlorine

Non
FLAMMABLE
But it enhances
combustion with other
substances
24
 Properties of Chlorine
Wet chlorine
Corrosive
• Reacts with body moisture to form corrosive acid

25
 Chlorine Reactivity

• “Dry” chlorine is compatible with most metals,

except titanium, aluminum, and tin
• “Wet” and “Dry” refer to the moisture or water
content in the chlorine gas and “wet” does NOT
mean chlorine bleach.
• Reacts violently with steel at temperatures
above 450º F (232º C)
• Can support combustion above 480º F (250º C)

26
 Properties of Chlorine

Soluble
• Mixes easily with water, oil and liquid

27
Effects of Exposure - Chlorine

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

28
CHLORINE PROPERTIES AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Acute Exposure to
Chlorine
• What are the hazards of chlorine?
– Toxic gas: respiratory tract and eye
irritant
– Corrosive: chemical burns
– Strong oxidizer: heat-related burns
– Liquid is very cold: frostbite

Occidental Petroleum Qatar, Ltd.

CHLORINE PROPERTIES AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Acute Exposure to
Chlorine
• What is the odor threshold for chlorine?
– As low as 0.25 ppm, varies from person
to person
• Exposure to respiratory system is primary
concern, followed by eye exposure
• Impact of exposure effects dependent on
both chlorine concentration and length of
exposure time

Occidental Petroleum Qatar, Ltd.

 Chlorine Gas Measurement

Chlorine gas is measured in parts per million (ppm):

Parts of a substance per million parts of air. It is a measure

of a substance’s concentration in a volume of air.

1% = 10,000 parts per million

31
Chlorine Exposure Limits
• What are the exposure limits for chlorine?
– ACGIH-TLV: 0.5 ppm (8-hr Time-weighted Average)
– OSHA-PEL: 1 ppm (Ceiling)
– ACGIH-TLV-STEL: 1 ppm (Short Term Exposure
Limit)
• What is the IDLH for chlorine?
– 10 ppm
• Is chlorine a carcinogen?
– Not considered to be carcinogenic by OSHA, NIOSH,
NTP, IARC or EPA
32
 Acute Chlorine Exposure and
Estimated Clinical Effects

• 0.2-3.5 ppm - odor detection

• 1-3 ppm - mild mucous membrane irritation, tolerated
up to 1 hour
• 5-15 ppm - moderate irritation of the respiratory tract
• 30 ppm - immediate chest pain, vomiting, dyspnea,
cough
• 40-60 ppm - toxic pneumonitis and pulmonary edema
• 430 ppm - lethal over 30 minutes
• 1000 ppm - fatal within a few minutes 33
34
 Properties of Chlorine Gas

Toxic. Very dangerous gas that can kill

you, 1000 ppm will knock you unconscious
with one breath and stop you breathing
within a couple of minutes.

35
 Chlorine gas Concentration & Toxic Levels

The safe exposure limits for are set by the relevant

government organizations for each country. The main two
levels followed are the Threshold Limit Value TLV set by the
American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists
and the Occupational Exposure Limit (OEL) set by OSHA.

The TLV or PEL for Chlorine gas is .5

ppm no long term effect
36
 Chlorine gas Concentration
& Toxic Levels

STEL (Short term Exposure Exposure Limit) = 1 ppm.

You can work in this concentration for 15mins without any
irritation, chronic tissue change and any other problem.

IDLH Immediately Dangerous To Life and Health = 10 ppm.

You are not permitted to enter an area of IDLH or lethal damage at
any time. Personnel who may enter these concentrations are ERT
members operating in a BUDDY system at all times

37
 Physiological effects of Chlorine gas
Olfactory Nerves: .06 odor threshold

Skin: over exposure may lead to burn or dermatitis(red, cracked,

irritated skin)

Eyes: pain, redness, and prolonged exposures can cause blindness

Respiratory System: Throat / nose irritation, coughing, difficulty of

breathing, sore throat, and potential lung disorders(chemical pneumonitis
and pulmonary edema).overexposures will result in emphysema and
erosion of teeth

38
 Chlorine Gas Variables
The primary variables are exposure concentration, exposure
frequency, exposure duration, and individual variables.
Individual variables include:

1. Age
2. Overall Physical Condition
3. Body Mass
4. Smoker/Non Smoker
5. Personal Biochemistry

39
 Characteristics of Chlorine gas
• Liquefied Compressed Gas
• Sold in Bulk - Railcars, Trucks and Barges
• Large Packages - Tonners
• Small Packages - Cylinders
• Greenish/Yellow Gas (when concentration
>1000ppm)
• Amber Liquid (while liquid is boiling)
• Potent bleach like smell (subjective 0.02 – 0.3
ppm perception)

40
CHLORINE PROPERTIES AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Product Information

◆ “Loaded” Tank Car ◆“RESIDUE” Tank Car

– 80% liquid full – Residue = 2500 +/-
pounds mix of vapor
– Pressure 60-100 PSIG
and liquid
– Typical product
– Typical pressure 150
temperature
PSIG to 275 PSIG
50-80º F
– “Residue” is not
considered “empty”

Occidental Petroleum Qatar, Ltd.