CIMAC Report Reminds on New fuel Safety Risks
CIMAC Working Group 17 (Gas Engines) has just released a new guideline that provides a comprehensive overview of how alternative fuels such as hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, and ethanol can be used in modern stationary and marine gas engines.
Under the safety concepts chapter, it states: “New fuels need new skills, so personnel need to be trained to handle the new fuels.”
The report includes a summary of potential risks to humans.
Anhydrous ammonia is a hygroscopic compound, meaning it actively seeks water from the nearest source, including the human body. As such, the eyes, lungs, and skin, which have high moisture content, are at the greatest risk. Caustic burns occur when anhydrous ammonia dissolves into body tissues. With its low boiling point, anhydrous ammonia freezes upon contact with the skin at room temperature, causing burns that are similar to, but more severe than, those inflicted by dry ice.
Exposure to concentrations of 2-3,000ppm for less than half an hour may be fatal. Exposure to concentrations of 5-10,000ppm cause serious edema, strangulation and asphyxia and is rapidly fatal.
A potentially lethal dose of methanol is approximately 30 to 240 mL or 1 gram per kilogram. Permanent visual damage may occur with minimum ingestion of 30 mL of methanol. Methanol does not have to be swallowed to be dangerous since the liquid can be absorbed through the skin and other tissues, and the vapors through the lungs. Do not swallow methanol liquid, do not breathe methanol vapor, do not walk in pooled liquid, and do not allow vapor or liquid to contact skin.
While ethanol is less toxic to humans than methanol, it is still hazardous in high concentrations. Toxicity alerts for ethanol are typically set around 1’000 ppm (0.1% by volume), primarily to avoid effects such as dizziness, irritation, and long-term exposure risks. Ethanol can be absorbed via inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact, and prolonged exposure to high concentrations should be avoided.
The guideline is available here.
