General Refrigerant Precautions
General Refrigerant PrecautionsWARNING:
- Avoid breathing A/C refrigerant and lubricant vapor or mist. Exposure may irritate eyes, nose and throat. Remove HFC-134a (R-134a) from the A/C system, using certified service equipment meeting requirements of SAE J-2210 [HFC-134a (R-134a) recycling equipment], or J-2209 [HFC-134a (R-134a) recovery equipment]. If accidental system discharge occurs, ventilate work area before resuming service. Additional health and safety information may be obtained from refrigerant and lubricant manufacturers.
- Never release refrigerant into the air. Use approved recovery/recycling equipment to capture the refrigerant every time an air conditioning system is discharged.
- Always wear eye and hand protection (goggles and gloves) when working with any refrigerant or air conditioning system.
- Never store or heat refrigerant containers above 52 °C (126 °F).
- Never heat a refrigerant container with an open flame; if container warming is required, place the bottom of the container in a warm pail of water.
- Never intentionally drop, puncture, or incinerate refrigerant containers.
- Keep refrigerant away from open flames: poisonous gas will be produced if refrigerant burns.
- Refrigerant will displace oxygen, therefore be certain to work in well ventilated areas to prevent suffocation.
- Never pressure test or leak test HFC-134a (R-134a) service equipment and/or vehicle air conditioning systems with compressed air during repair. Some mixtures of air and HFC-134a (R-134a) have been shown to be combustible at elevated pressures. These mixtures, if ignited, may cause injury or property damage. Additional health and safety information may be obtained from refrigerant manufacturers.