Unless you have a very large dewar (600, 750 or in-vivo/mri magnet) in
a very small, enclosed space where oxygen starvation is a real threat,
qunches are not harmnful to your health (except perhaps one's mental
health). Most modern labs have very high air replacement rates and
oxygen starvation is not a real threat.One exception would be the case
where a quench caused a liquid air burn to someone working very close
to a He vent just as the quench went, or someone being surprised by the
quench and falling off a ladder or something. A quench in conjunction
with ice blocks is something else altogether. I could envision several
ways serious injury could occur if a quench happened during an
attempted ice block removal, a very ugly situation indeed.
Does anyone know of anyone injured during a quench? This would be very
helful information in terms of trying to minimize the chance of future
injuries.
Disclaimer: This has nothing to do with Monsanto Company.