A passive method for the disposal of waste anaesthetic gases is described. The resistance characteristics of the collector valve, the balancing device and the disposal system were studied. It was found that the resistances offered by the conduction channels and the terminal exhaust valve were extremely low. The collector valves were found to be responsible for most of the expiratory resistance. Swabs taken from various components of the system showed that these were contaminated mainly with commensals and non-pathogenic organisms.
Tim PI~SENCE of trace amounts of anaesthetie agents in ambient operating-room air has recently been reported, while measurable amounts of halothane and methoxyflurane vapour have been detected in end-expired air of anaesthetists and theatre staff (Linde and Bruce, 1 1969, Corbett and Ball, 2 1971, Whitcher, Cohen and Trudell, 81971). Chronic exposure to nitrous oxide is known to cause bone marrow depression (Lassen, et al., 4 1956). It has also been suggested that chronic low grade exposure to anaesthetic vapours and gases may be related to an increased spontaneous miscarriage rate and to an increase in the incidence of foetal anomalies (Askrog~ 5 1970, and Leuez, Nemes and Berta, 6 1970), From their survey of causes of death in anaesthetists over the period 1947-66, Bruce et al., r (1968) concluded that the incidence of lymphoid and reticuloendothelial malignancy was two to three times greater than expected, amounting to almost 25 per cent of all deaths due to malignant causes. Increases in "Functional disturbances of the Central Nervous System" following prolonged exposure to anaesthetics in poorly ventilated operating rooms have also been cited by Vaisman 8 (1967). Although the causative agents of the effects outlined have not been established, exposure of theatre personnel to atmospheric pollution is undesirable and should be avoided. Attempts have, therefore, been made to reduce the concentration of anaesthetic vapours and gases in the operating theatre, either by means of a suitable anaesthetic gas scavening system or by adsorption to activated charcoal. Since most of the studies on operating theatre pollution have been carried out in the United States of America where the anaesthetic circuits and gas flows employed are different from those commonly used in this country, it was decided to undertake a similar pollution survey by measuring the halothane concentration in the operating-room atmosphere and in end-tidal samples from anaesthetists. The resuits of these investigations constitute the subject of this paper. METrlOVS ~D MA~LS A study was made of the effect of commonly used anaesthetic circuits, gas flows, clinical concentrations of halothane and scavenging systems, on the level of contamination in the ambient atmosphere. Three circuits were compared. These were a Magill semi-closed circuit and a Manley respirator circuit, each with a flow rate of 7 1/min and a closed circle system with a flow rate of 3 l/rain. The excess expired gases in the case of the circle system were vented through the expiratory valve
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