NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 36

In Compliance Xchange

RECENT BLOGS ON
CODES AND STANDARDS
BY NFPA STAFF

THE NFPA XCHANGE SITE recently received a significant redesign and upgrade for 2021. The updated
site now boasts a modern streamlined design, as well
as a range of thoughtfully integrated new features
intended to enhance all aspects of functionality for
users. Those features include a new media center for
sharing documents, files, and videos; a calendar of
NFPA events around the world; an expanded career
and job section; enhanced discussion forums; and
much more.
If you haven't checked out NFPA Xchange in a
while, visit community.nfpa.org.

indicate that the risks associated with flammable
refrigerants aren't significant enough to warrant
changes to NFPA codes and standards, but it is
important for audiences to remember that flammable refrigerants are recognized as an A3 coolant
with lower toxicity and higher flammability. Chapter
53 of NFPA 1, Fire Code, includes broad reference
to refrigerants where more than 30 pounds are
being stored. The chapter also says that there
should be emergency control systems in place
where quantities of flammable refrigerants exceed
6.6 pounds. Additional requirements for flammable
refrigerants can be found
in listing requirements and
THAT'S COLD
in industry standards from
An employee opens an ultra-low-temperature freezer at
the American Society of
a cold room where the vaccine for COVID-19 by Pfizer
pharmaceutical laboratory is stored. GETTY IMAGES
Heating, Refrigerating and
Air-Conditioning Engineers.
Liquid nitrogen-While
nitrogen is not flammable,
it does present several
hazards. For example, NFPA
55, Compressed Gases and
Cryogenic Fluids Code,
says to separate stationary
cryogenic containers in
outdoor installations and
from certain exposures,
such as places of assembly
or nonambulatory patient
areas. Indoor storage also
requires appropriate mechanical ventilation.

Read full
versions of
these posts
and many
others from
technical
staff on NFPA
Xchange at
nfpa.org/
community

Jonathan Hart, a technical lead at NFPA, on the
safety aspects of storing the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, which must be kept at minus 70 degrees C:
Hospitals, long-term care facilities, state authorities,
and distributors are currently evaluating the logistics
of managing vaccine storage at such a low temperature, including the potential for fire and life safety
issues. Methods to provide the necessary cryogenic
storage include compressor-driven units-which
might use flammable refrigerants such as R290 (propane)-as well as liquid nitrogen or dry ice.
While NFPA codes and standards do not reference
a significant amount of information directly related
to the storage of vaccines, the codes do provide
insight on the cooling options noted above.
Flammable refrigerants-The Fire Protection Research Foundation has conducted several studies
on flammable refrigerants, which have informed the
development of new flammable refrigerant training
for the fire service. Both the research and training

Dry ice-This substance,
which is being used for both
storage and vaccine transportation, is frozen carbon dioxide; like nitrogen, dry
ice isn't corrosive, flammable, or toxic. Quantities
of dry ice aren't restricted by codes such as NFPA
400, Hazardous Materials Code, or NFPA 55-which
covers liquid carbon dioxide in a tank or other container-but there are potential issues. Asphyxiation
is a threat since dry ice turns into gaseous carbon
dioxide when melted, and if there isn't enough
ventilation it could lower the oxygen levels in the
air. Cold burns are also a risk, as are explosions if it's
kept in a sealed vessel where gases are not able to
escape. In anticipation of potential response challenges involving dry ice, the International Association of Fire Chiefs issued a white paper last month
outlining possible hazards that first responders
might encounter.
NFPA has a wide array of resources available as
authorities tackle new pandemic safety considerations
or revisit COVID-19-related challenges and solutions
that may have been addressed previously.

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NFPA Journal - Spring 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - Spring 2021