Titan portable propane bed bug heaters are safe

by Tommy Underhill
December 1, 2018

People occasionally ask us if it is safe to enter a building while conducting an insect heat treatment when treating with propane heaters. Early in the development of our heaters we sought professional advice on the matter.

On January 13, 2000, West Coast Environmental (WCE) evaluated and monitored the TPE500 portable propane bed bug heater exhaust emissions and combustion emissions to determine potential employee exposure to hazardous gasses, including carbon monoxide, during heat treatments. WCE monitored the air within the treatment areas with an MSA portable gas detector and measured carbon monoxide oxygen, combustible gasses, and hydrogen sulfide. The test also used a photoionization detector to monitor for volatile organic compounds.

WCE determined maximum carbon monoxide concentrations to be 11 parts per million (ppm), well below the OSHA limit of 50 ppm for an eight hour time-weighted average or a short-term exposure of 200 ppm as determined by NIOSH. The IDLH (immediate danger to life or health) for carbon monoxide is 1200 ppm. Final conclusion from WCE is that there appeared “to be no significant hazards associated with carbon monoxide gas residuals inside containment, particularly when considering that employees are not working for extended periods within the containment while heat is being introduced… there is very little potential for adverse health effects to employees from carbon monoxide. No other concerns were noted during our field monitoring.”

The TPE500 was the precursor heater to the Titan portable propane heaters. Bottom line: When properly maintained, the GreenTech Heat Titan 800 and 450 portable propane bed bug heaters produce emission well below the OSHA safety thresholds.