Bull. I work at a lab. Our official limit of detection is 0.2ppm for non-methane hydrocarbons and 0.4 for volatile halo-hydrocarbons but we can see them at lesser concentrations than that. If there were any oil vapour hydrocarbons present we would see them and we don't.
Great, you work in a lab, it shows. But for a lab testing divers air at ppm levels it's quite poor when you consider the oil free oil less Rix is capable of producing authentic air samples down to the parts per quadrillion level ppq
without contamination of the original air sample.
Look even a standard 3 stage diver oil free air compressor is capable to produce high pressure atmospheric air samples for measurement down to the parts per billion ppb air sampling levels without contamination of the original air sample.
Agilent 6890 for CH4, CO2 and Trace Analytical RGA3 for N2O, SF6, H2 and CO analysis
LoFlo-CO2 analyzer, a Picarro G 1301 for CO2 and CH4 analysis and an Aero-Laser AL5002 for CO analysis.
Now I do think oil, synthetic dieter, triester, polyolefin and alkyl methacrylate breakdown components in divers breathing air when using oil lubricated compressors is a subject in need of discussion and to be understood in the light of breathing under pressure just maybe not in this post.
But before calling bull on the subject matter you need to declare what oils are being used in the dive industry and the complex breakdown components that you are either not testing for or not making known are present.
Lets discuss phenol sulphide, or phosphorosulfide in these dive compressor oils
while we are at it why not include the cobalt naphthalenes or some to the triester based
lubricants found in oil lubricated dive compressors.
What with most of these oils having flash points some less than half that of the melting temperature of a Viton 0-ring makes you wonder why all the fuss.
But don’t let me get in the way of you making money testing divers breathing air, just don’t think that every diver is breathing gas tested down at your level.
Again I put it to you just drink the condensate off the oil lubricated compressors you test and let me know how you get on, Iain