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Compressed Air Standards for Recreational Diving
Health Issues
During the 1999 session, the Florida Legislature passed a law requiring the Department of Health to establish maximum allowable levels for contaminants in compressed air used for recreational sport diving in this state. The rules covering the interpretation and implementation of this law are in Chapter 64E-20
of the Florida Administrative Code. These rules certify the quality of
compressed air sold to the public throughout the state for SCUBA diving and
provide the method of sampling and testing that must be used, the interval of
testing, approved forms and certifications, and enforcement measures.
As required by the statute, all companies must have their air checked by a laboratory company that has been accredited by the American Industrial Hygiene Association or the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation. You may contact these groups for a list of approved laboratories. Here is a list of laboratories that we are aware of that are working with other shops in Florida:
Analytical Chemists, Inc.
Lawrence Factor
Liberty Mutual
Trace Analytical
TRI Environmental
If you represent another approved laboratory, please contact us for inclusion on this list.
The full text of the law is found in section 381.895, Florida Statutes, Standards for Compressed Air Used for Recreational Diving. (The link to the statute opens a new window with the statute loaded from the Florida Legislature's web site.)
The Florida Administrative Code 64E-20 (11kb PDF) is available as an Adobe Acrobat pdf file. You will need the Acrobat reader to view the file. It is available free of charge from www.adobe.com.
We request providers of compressed air to register with the Department of Health. If you wish to send in the form by mail, a printable version of the registration form (29kb MSWord) is available as well as a pdf version registration form - pdf <1mb).
For more information contact:
Edith Coulter, Environmental Administrator
Bureau of Community Environmental Health, Department of Health
4052 Capital Circle SE, BIN A08
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1710
Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your
e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send
electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in
writing. Email: Edith_Coulter
Phone: (850) 245-4277
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