Wiggsy
Contributor
Ive just had some news from Airdive, a company that manufactures High Pressure air-filling compressors and Low pressure Hookahs that concerns me greatly. For the past 20 or more years, it has been standard practice to fill air filters for Hookah Systems (and many High Pressure SCUBA airfilling compressors) with Activated Charcoal and Molecular Sieve (Zeolite). But I have just heard from Airdive that they no longer supply Zeolite as it is "carcinogenic".
Ive done quite a bit of research and, yes, it appears to be widely reported that it is linked to Mesotheleomia (sp?) when inhaled. This would be a real issue if filters are subject to vibration which can reduce to zeolite granules to the point where fine dust is produced - the fibres produced are similar to asbestos fibres. I guess dive shops have more stable filter banks, but I fear for every abalone or commercial diver that goes out in rough seas, and subjects the filter bank (usually attached to the compressor) to crushing impacts and vibration. It surprises me that this has not been more widely publicised as there could be far reaching implications for commercial divers that use SSBA.
Im just wondering if anyone else may have heard anything. Ive probably done a few hundred dives on my Hookah over the last 20 years and, yes, it is a bit of a worry, but my exposure has been minimal to commercial divers. Ironic that something carcinogenic when inhaled has been used for air filtration purposes it absorbs moisture, dust and oil. But at what cost?
Cheers,
Ive done quite a bit of research and, yes, it appears to be widely reported that it is linked to Mesotheleomia (sp?) when inhaled. This would be a real issue if filters are subject to vibration which can reduce to zeolite granules to the point where fine dust is produced - the fibres produced are similar to asbestos fibres. I guess dive shops have more stable filter banks, but I fear for every abalone or commercial diver that goes out in rough seas, and subjects the filter bank (usually attached to the compressor) to crushing impacts and vibration. It surprises me that this has not been more widely publicised as there could be far reaching implications for commercial divers that use SSBA.
Im just wondering if anyone else may have heard anything. Ive probably done a few hundred dives on my Hookah over the last 20 years and, yes, it is a bit of a worry, but my exposure has been minimal to commercial divers. Ironic that something carcinogenic when inhaled has been used for air filtration purposes it absorbs moisture, dust and oil. But at what cost?
Cheers,