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EH&S
E-News and Notes Stanford University C o n t e n t s
Contributed by Asst. Univ.
Fire Marshal, Alison Pena Carbon monoxide (CO) is an invisible, odorless, colorless gas created when fuels (such as gasoline, wood, coal, natural gas, propane, oil and methane) burn incompletely. In the home, heating and cooking equipment that burn fuel are possible sources of carbon monoxide. Vehicles or generators running in an attached garage can also produce dangerous levels of CO. However we can protect ourselves against CO poisoning by properly installing, using, venting and maintaining heating and cooking equipment. We can also install CO alarms inside our homes and practice caution when running vehicles and generators inside attached garages. Mild effects of carbon monoxide exposure
feel like the flu while severe effects include difficulty breathing
and even death. This occurs as carbon monoxide replaces oxygen in
the bloodstream, which eventually leads to suffocation. Just how
sick people get from CO exposure varies, depending on the concentration
and length of exposure. As with anything harmful that is inhaled
the severity of harm depends on the dose. The same dose of CO can
be received through a long exposure to a low concentration or a
brief exposure to a high concentration. Given time, the body will
get rid of CO, unlike substances like lead or arsenic. Parking
& Transportation Services Receive Clean Air Award Contributed by Environmental Specialist, Heather Perry Stanford's Parking & Transportation
Services (P&TS) received a Clean Air Award from the American
Lung Association (ALA) of the Bay Area. The Department of Environmental
Health & Safety nominated P&TS for the award in the category
of Outstanding Transportation Program, recognizing P&TS' "outstanding
leadership in the design and implementation of clean air awareness
programs in the workplace." P&TS' program is multi-faceted
in its approach to environmental conservation and is aimed not only
at improving air quality, but helping reduce traffic congestion,
commute stress and daily parking hassles on campus by reducing the
number of drive-alone commuters. Emergency Preparedness Planning at Stanford University Contributed by Our Stanford University Emergency Preparedness
Planning effort is ongoing. Roni Wade, the campus Emergency Preparedness
Planning Program Manager, has updated the Campus Emergency Plan
and the Cabinet Emergency Planning Guidelines. These plans, along
with the Department Emergency Planning Guidelines have been posted
to our EH&S web pages. The Cabinet
and Department Guidelines have been posted as MS Word documents
as well so that emergency planning teams can download and customize
these plans for their functional areas. Surplus Chemicals Available Free to Campus Research Community Contributed by Environmental Specialist, Heather Perry As part of its overall
Environmental Stewardship Program, EH&S has established a Chemical
Redistribution Program for the campus research community. We have
an inventory of unused, unopened surplus chemicals that are available
free of charge. Laboratory personnel may simply review the online
surplus chemical inventory to see if any of our surplus materials
could be utilized in their research. EH&S will deliver the chemicals
to the laboratories of interested researchers. Contributed by Biosafety Officer,
Ellyn Segal West Nile is a mosquito-borne virus that
was first detected in the United States in 1999. The virus, which
causes encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, has been found
in Africa, Western Asia, the Middle East, the Mediterranean region
of Europe, and, most recently, in the United States. The continued
expansion of West Nile virus in the United States indicates that
it is permanently established in the Western Hemisphere.
EH&S E-News and Notes Archives
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