Yes! The container air may contain high levels of dangerous chemical vapors. The chemicals may come from the goods but may also be deliberately added to kill pests (so-called fumigants). Many of these chemicals may cause acute poisoning or severe disease such as cancer.

Because the container air may contain high levels of dangerous chemical vapors. The best and easiest way to handle this hazard is to pre-ventilate the container, that is, to replace the polluted air with fresh air from outside.

Evaqvent and other investigators have found many different dangerous chemicals at high levels and in a high percentage of the containers. Many of these chemicals, for example formaldehyde may cause cancer. Another example is highly toxic so-called fumigants, such as phosphine, that have been deliberately added to kill insects or other pests.

Containers are fumigated to kill insects and other pests. Fumigation is even required by some countries, for example Australia and New Zealand, in order to avoid entrance of invasive species. The fumigants are highly toxic not only to the targeted pests but to all animals including humans.

No! According to international rules, fumigated containers should be ventilated before shipping and addition there should be a warning label. These rules are often violated, as shown by many cases were workers or inspectors have been poisoned or even died after entering the container.

There are no affordable and easy to use instruments that detect and identify all chemicals that may be present in container air. The more that is known about the emissions from the goods, the easier it is to pick a suitable measuring device.

The most well characterized containers (and perhaps with the highest health risks) are the ones that have been treated with a known fumigant.

Some manufacturers of measurement instruments useful for container screening are: Draeger, Gasmet, SKC

In facilities with high throughput of containers, it may be wise to measure all containers to determine which ones should be pre-ventilated.

This requires advanced instruments and trained personnel.

With a limited flow of containers, it may be more cost-effective to pre-ventilate every container to be on the safe side.

Container air should be sampled without opening the container. We offer a specially designed stainless steel sampling probe that is durable and easy to insert between the rubber sealings surrounding the doors.

Yes, you should! Many types of goods emit small amounts of chemicals to the air. The container is very tight, therefore these chemicals accumulate in the air and may reach dangerous levels. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) states that all containers should be mechanically pre-ventilated before entrance and unstuffing.

Yes, you should! Do not rely on your nose. Many dangerous chemicals that occur in containers do not smell even at dangerous levels.

There are basically four methods.

Ineffective methods, not recommend by Evaqvent

• Passive or natural ventilation by simply leaving the doors open. This will take several days in a tightly stuffed container, since the air does not move freely. On-going emissions from the goods may keep contaminant concentrations high.
• Mechanical ventilation with a big floor fan in front of the open doors. This will also take several days for the same reason as method 1.

Effective methods, recommend by Evaqvent and by International Maritime Organization (IMO)

• Mechanical ventilation by sucking air between the doors using a door nozzle (Evaqvent standard ventilation). This method is far more effective than methods 1 and 2 as it forces air to flush through the container (enter via small openings in the container and leave via hoses).
• Mechanical ventilation by sucking air through a top corner ventilator nozzle (Evaqvent high performance ventilation equipment is required). This method is also far more effective than methods 1 and 2 for the same reasons outlined in method 3

No! All equipment can be kept ready-to-use for example on a wood pallet (or a mini trailer). Mounting is done in a minute. You need access to a standard power supply (to 230 V, 10 A).

No! Mounting is done in a minute. We recommend pre-ventilation for a minimum of 1 hour before entering the container. In most cases this reduces the pollutants by at least 90%.

The price depends on type of equipment and extras chosen. In any case, it is a minor investment that pays off quickly by avoiding severe health effects among the employees.

Easier to handle due to fewer work steps. Lower price due to fewer parts, fewer work steps and less advanced fan compared to the high performance equipment. Check of container vacuum not needed. Can be used for both pre-ventilation and ventilation during unstuffing.

Faster ventilation due to a more powerful turbine. Lower pollutant concentrations are reached. Allows for ventilation without unlocking and opening the container. Can be used for both pre-ventilation and ventilation during unstuffing.

The Evaqvent equipment is used by warehouses world-wide and by all sectors of the Swedish border control (customs, food inspection, agricultural inspection).