Safety First This Breeding Season

Safe practices for transportation and storage of semen tanks By B. Lynn Gordon for the Red Angus Magazine

What could be as crucial as your sire selection decisions this breeding season? The simple answer: focusing on mind-over-matter when handling and storing semen tanks. During the breeding season, the transportation of cryogenic containers/tanks (commonly referred to in the beef industry as “semen tanks”) or accessing straws from tanks in storage at your ranch can be a daily practice. Using mindover-matter, you can keep yourself and others safe this breeding season.

Nitrogen – A Silent Killer

Liquid nitrogen (LN2) is nitrogen in a liquid state. When nitrogen is converted to a liquid form, it becomes a liquefi ed gas which must be kept at extremely low temperatures. Liquid nitrogen will expand to produce 700 times the volume of gas when vaporized. This rapid and extreme expansion can lead to oxygen displacement.

The oxygen level in fresh, outside air is 20.9%. Research conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health describes 19.5% oxygen as the onset of an oxygen-defi cient environment. At oxygen levels lower than 19.5%, people immediately begin to feel the effects. The lower the percent of oxygen in the air, the more tragic the outcome.

Nitrogen has no warning properties. It is odorless, colorless, tasteless and non-irritating, reports the Offi ce of Research, Environmental Safety and Health Department at Utah State University.

Humans cannot detect nitrogen’s presence, thus increasing the risk as an asphyxiant when nitrogen displaces oxygen in the air to levels below that required to support life. Exposure to nitrogen can cause dizziness, nausea, sleepiness, vomiting, loss of consciousness and even death. Death may result from errors in judgment, confusion or loss of consciousness that prevents self-rescue. At low oxygen concentration, unconsciousness and death may occur in minutes and without warning.

Health Effects at Each Level of Percent Oxygen

% Oxygen Physiological Effects

20.94% Normal 19.5% Unnoticeable physiological effects 19.0% Unnoticeable physiological effects 18.5% Fatigue 18.0% Fatigue 16.0% Impaired 14.7% IDHL (Immediately Dangerous to Health or Life)

Industry Study Results

ABS Global, DeForest, Wisconsin, conducted several studies in 2010 to learn about the hazards of transporting and storing liquid nitrogen semen tanks. Their fi ndings include:

Transportation Precautions: ABS placed two newly fi lled tanks in the back seat of a crew cab truck. In three minutes, the cab of the pickup was unsafe for human occupancy. One hour later, the level of oxygen had depleted to 14.7%. In a similar test, one of the tanks was tipped on its side, and in less than one minute, the oxygen in the cab had fallen below 18.3%. Ten minutes later, the oxygen level had depleted to 9.7%.

“Proper transportation of semen tanks is needed for people to remain safe,” said Ron Zeihen, a safety specialist at ABS. Zeihen explained there is continual venting of nitrogen from the tank to prevent an explosion. In an air-tight vehicle, this release of Proper Transportation – Semen tanks should only be transported securely in the bed of a truck or in a sealed compartment where no passengers are present or may enter. (Photo by ABS Global)

nitrogen can be deadly. “There are too many risks involved with hauling a semen tank inside the passenger compartment of a vehicle rather than in the bed of the pickup truck.”

Undetected leaks, the tank’s age and the length of time in an enclosed space all affect the risks of hauling a tank inside the passenger compartment of a vehicle.

Storage Precautions: ABS also conducted studies at its cryogenic storage warehouse where 10 newly fi lled tanks were placed into a 12’ x 15’ (1,440 cubic feet) enclosed, non-ventilated room. The result: it took 18 minutes for the air to become unsafe for human occupancy. The longer the tanks sat, the more the oxygen level continued to decrease.

To keep the tank safe, out of the way and out of extreme weather, producers might place the tank in a confi ned room or closet. “If you have tanks stored in a room or closet, make sure it is always ventilated. A passthrough air vent in the door can help keep airfl ow in the room,” Zeiben said.

research, commercial cattleman John Belveal, Morin Ranch, of Hereford, Oregon, said he was going to make immediate changes after hearing the data. Each April, 100% of the cow herd is AI’d at the Morin Ranch by Belveal’s wife, Waynette, therefore, a semen tank is a staple at the ranch.

The Belveals do not transport the tank to pastures during AI season, as the cows are AI’d at the site where the tank is stored year-round. Their local semen company representative fi lls the tank on-site. However, they admit to being unaware of the cautions they should be taking to move the tank from one-site to another.

“I thought I was being careful by securing the tank with a seatbelt to prevent it from tipping over,” he said. “I did not think about its ability to impact the oxygen level if I had it sitting upright in the pickup cab with me.” Belveal admitted he did have a tank tip over on him during transportation. “The tank was fi lled clear to the top and froze a spot in the seat,” he remembered.

Belveal recognized his fi rst plan of action would be to make some changes in the room where the tank is stored. “That room is air-tight. The door is always closed, even when we are in the room.” Thus, he plans to monitor the oxygen level in the room from now on, however, he will not rely on only that action, “I will add in ventilation as one never knows when a tank might be emitting more than we suspect or going bad.” This Red Angus cattleman’s new awareness will be shared with his family and other neighboring cattlemen to keep everyone safe.

Gerald Feikema, a 35-year semen distribution representative from Brookings, South Dakota, agrees with Belveal. The last thing Feikema wants to hear is the loss of a cattleman due to lack of awareness. Recalling his years in the AI business, he said, “I know of countless people who travel with semen tanks in the same compartment of the vehicle as they are in. Looking back now, I believe I have been aff ected by liquid nitrogen while driving to the point of fatigue or maybe even impairment.”

Merlyn Sandbulte, ABS Beef Business Manager, of Rock Valley, Iowa, spends the spring months hosting educational seminars in his territory and informing cattlemen about the dangers of oxygen depletion when transporting or storing a semen tank.

“We become such creatures of habit, but which would you prefer, a few minutes to be safe or a tragedy?” This breeding season, Sandbulte encouraged producers to get creative and implement a system to securely and safely transport a semen tank in the bed of a pickup truck and to take the time to evaluate the location where the tank is stored. n