In Reply:--We are delighted to respond to the letter from our Australian colleague, Priestley, regarding safety features in the packaging of the medical gases. Following the Australian guidelines, our hazardous mixture of the 86% Oxygen2/14% CO2would have been packaged in a green cylinder with gray striping on the collar rather than the reverse. [1]Theoretically, our error could have been averted by alerting us to the high oxygen content in our tank. We contacted the Compressed Gas Association to determine whether such a guideline currently exists in the United States. Although current U.S. guidelines do not require that the body of the tank bear the color of the “predominant” gas, the Compressed Gas Association will forward this suggestion to the medical gases committee for their consideration. Compressed Gas Association publication C-9, “Standard Color Marking of Compressed Gas Containers intended for Medical Use” is scheduled for the standard 5-yr review in 1998.
Philip E. Greilich, MD; Assistant Professor, Nancy B. Greilich, MD; Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, Texas 75235.
Edward G. Froelich, MD; Staff Anesthesiologist, Anesthesia and Operative Service, Moncrief Army Community Hospital, Columbia, South Carolina.
(Accepted for publication May 14, 1996.)
