Key Questions to Ask When Ordering No2 Specialty Gas

05 Jun.,2025

 

Guidance on NO2 and SO2 EPA Protocol Gases for State-Local ...

EPA has approved the use of direct-reading analyzers to measure nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in ambient air.  In the past, this pollutant has been measured by chemiluminescence analyzers as the difference between measurements of total nitrogen oxides (NOX) and nitric oxide (NO).  The EPA reference method for NO2 (see 40 CFR Part 50, Appendix F) specifies that these analyzers be calibrated using NO-in-N2 EPA Protocol Gases and gas-phase titration. While it would be desirable to calibrate the direct-reading NO2 analyzers using NO2 calibration gases, there currently are no National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-certified NO2 reference standards that can be used to establish the traceability of NO2 EPA Protocol Gases.  Such NO2 reference standards are available from the Von Swinden Laboratory (VSL) in the Netherlands and from the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in the United Kingdom and NIST has Declarations of Equivalence (DoE) with these national metrology institutes (NMIs).  However, a recent international comparison among NMIs performed by the European Association of National Metrology Institutes (EURAMET) Metrology for Nitrogen Dioxide, showed that 10-ppm NO2-in-N2 standards in passivated cylinders appear to experience a NO2 concentration decay of from 1 to 4 percent relative over 15 to 26 months’ time.  Given that EPA has received only limited data from specialty gas producers concerning the long-term stability of their NO2 calibration gases, such calibration gases cannot be certified as EPA Protocol Gases at this time.  EPA seeks long-term NO2 stability data from the producers to justify certifying NO2 EPA Protocol Gases.

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Similar long-term stability problems exist for SO2-in-air calibration gases although SO2-in-N2 calibration gases have been long recognized as being stable.  EURAMET also conducted a comparison of 100-ppb SO2-in-air standards in passivated cylinders among six NMIs, which found a SO2 concentration change of +0.6 to-2.2 percent (mean -0.6 percent) over 6 months’ time.  Earlier, a international comparison of 280-ppb SO2-in-air standards in passivated cylinders among thirteen NMIs found a median change of -2.2 percent over 6 months’ time.  EPA also seeks long-term SO2-in-air stability data from the producers to justify certifying SO2-in-air EPA Protocol Gases.  Such calibration gases cannot be certified as EPA Protocol Gases at this time.

The EPA memorandum alerts specialty gas producers, EPA regional offices, and state/local agencies that that gaseous calibration standards used for the calibration and the QA/QC of monitors intended to demonstrate compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) must be EPA Protocol Gases.

Airgas Specialty: What Is The Process of Refilling a Nitrous Oxide Tank

Nitrous oxide has a wide range of applications that run the entire gamut. You may know it from visits to your dentist’s office, where the colorless gas is used for sedation and pain relief. It’s what gives patients a buzzy, dizzy feeling when they sit in the dentist’s chair. It’s also used by other professionals in the medical field to sedate or relax patients while they are undergoing minor medical treatments and procedures. 

The gas is also used as a propellant for food products like whipped cream, in the automotive industry to boost engine performance and increase oxygen in combustion, to freeze some foods, and in some cases, even as a therapeutic to treat those going through withdrawal related to alcohol dependence. 

But no matter the intended usage, you need a reliable supplier to provide refills, safety inspections, and more. Here is what you should know about refilling a nitrous oxide tank.

Nitrous Oxide Safety Essentials

Nitrous oxide is a non-combustible gas, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t without risk—which is why it is so important for refills to be performed safely. For example, even though nitrous oxide itself isn’t combustible, it will quicken the burning of combustibles during a fire. 

This naturally-occurring gas is water-soluble, and its vapors are heavier than air. It’s also important to note that when containers of nitrous oxide are exposed to heat or fire for extended periods, they can “rupture violently and rocket.”

Prolonged exposure to nitrous oxide can cause some concerning health issues, including:

  • Dizziness
  • Unconsciousness
  • Death
  • Severe frostbite
  • Infertility with long-term exposure

Just how severe these effects are is very much dependent on how long a person is exposed, the concentration of the exposure, and what kind of work is being done. This is especially true since after exposure, nitrous oxide has also been known to limit the affected person’s motor control, cause oxygen deprivation, permanent brain damage, and asphyxiation.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) recommends the use of its Hierarchy of Controls standards to avoid, limit, and control dangerous workplace exposures. The NIOSH Hierarchy of Controls is a strategy that’s designed to control possible exposure to workplace hazards and figure out the best way to keep workers safe. This comes with a preferred order of actions based on efficacy:

  1. Elimination
  2. Substitution
  3. Engineering controls
  4. Administrative controls
  5. Personal protective equipment

Those who work around nitrous oxide should take care to read chemical labels and Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) for further safety instructions. 

Contact us to discuss your requirements of No2 Specialty Gas. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

Ensuring Safe, Efficient Nitrous Oxide Tank Refills

Self-refilling stations for nitrous oxide aren’t all that common, and they are hard to maintain. Refilling a bottle without the help of a professional can seem like an impossible task—and potentially even a dangerous one. At first, it may seem like a simple process, but moving nitrous from the mother tank to a smaller one isn’t straightforward or easy.

Regardless of the size of your nitrous oxide tank, the best way to ensure safe, timely refills is to work with professionals at Airgas Specialty Products. When you need refills, you don’t have time to wait for long request queues or inconvenient delivery times. 

With Airgas Specialty, getting refills is as simple as filling out our convenient online form or contacting our team. For your first order or first refill, we’ll just ask a few questions to set your refill in motion. 

  • What you need, whether it’s quality nitrous oxide or other services we offer like safety training or informative seminars. 
  • The size of your nitrous oxide tanks, as we can supply nitrous oxide in qualities reaching 30,000 pounds or more. 

Once we have your information, the process of refilling your nitrous oxide tank is in the works. We’ll take a look at what your needs are, where you’re located, and what your operations are, and get you back in action in no time flat. 

Since we have a network of distributors across the country, we can provide fast, efficient, affordable refills to ensure the process of getting refills is quick, easy, and painless for you.

Nitrous Delivery On Your Schedule 

Airgas Specialty Products is committed to trusted sales and reliable delivery of the nitrous oxide you depend on for your operations. We are dedicated to world-class delivery and refill services for your nitrous oxide tanks, as well as any other chemical products you need, including anhydrous ammonia, aqueous ammonia, and hydrogen chloride. 

Whether you’re providing patient care, boosting engines, or manufacturing food products, we know your refills can’t always wait until Monday morning or regular business hours. That’s why we offer after-hours delivery and short-notice refills. 

What’s more, we offer safety-related services to see that your operations are safe. We provide tank inspections, safety trainings, seminars, and everything else you need for secure, reliable operation. 

If you need nitrous oxide for your organization, it’s likely not an optional supply. For example? In medical facilities and dentist’s offices, you can’t wait for nitrous oxide when there are pressing medical procedures to perform.

This is why timely, professional delivery of nitrous oxide refills is so important for us—and why we deliver on your schedule. Having refilled nitrous oxide tanks is critical in several industries, but no matter your line of work, we are here for you after hours, on weekends, and whenever you need world-class service from our team of professionals.

Choose Airgas Specialty Products

For more than 130 years, we’ve been dedicated to providing you with the products you need to succeed. We’ll be your dependable supplier of first-rate nitrous oxide refills; we’re in it for the long haul. 

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