Gas leak accidents raise safety concerns
Recent incidents where people have sustained injuries, sometimes fatal, due to gas leaks in households, have health officials concerned.
On September 17, two people in a house in Dematagoda sustained severe burns following a gas cylinderexplosion. One of them died at the National Hospital due to the severity of the burns, police said.
According to the hospital’s head of nursing Pushpa R. Zoysa, in the recent past, the hospital had received at least two cases where the patient had suffered burn injures from a fire caused by a gas leak.
“These incidents most often happen in households and it's the women who largely fall prey to such accidents,” she said, adding that even the slightest leak in the tube or the regulator attached to a gas cylinder was enough to ignite a fire.
Ragama hospital's Consultant Plastic Surgeon Dr. Kolitha Karunadasa said that due to the high density of the LP gas, it lingers on the ground level if there is a leak. As a result, victims suffer burn injuries in the lower part of the body, mainly legs. He said the severity of the injuries would also depend on the amount of gas that had leaked and the intensity of the fire.
Dr. Karunadasa said the chances of survival were low if a large area of the body, that is about 60 percent or more, had been burnt.
“Survival will depend on the degree and extent of the burns,” he said.
Dr. Karunadasa said those who attend to burn victims must expose them to flowing water. This technique called burn cooling is recommended to prevent the cells from getting damaged.
“This technique helps reduce the temperature on the surface of the skin. This must be done for about half an hour, before the patient is taken to the nearest hospital,” he said.
Dr. Karunadasa stressed the importance of avoiding the application of ointments on the wounds immediately after the burn, as it only aggravates the injuries.
“Many people turn to home remedies such as applying ointments. We advise the public to refrain from doing so and to follow the burn cooling technique and rush the patient to the nearest hospital,” he said.
Litro Gas Lanka Limited safety director Jayantha Basnayake told the Sunday Times that 99 percent of the time a gas leak burn accident occurs when there is a defect in the accessories connected to the gas cylinder. This is when the gas can escape into the atmosphere.
He claimed that gas cylinders rarely burst.
“The moment you smell gas, never attribute it to an ignition source and light a match stick or switch on the ignition button of the cooker. It is always advisable to open all windows and doors and provide ventilation to the area," he said.
According to Mr. Basnayake the best precaution one can take is to be alert and check for any damages caused to the accessories and if it is an issue with the regulator always call an agent to get it fixed or replaced.
He also warned that there are substandard regulators, LPG hoses and cookers in the market that could lead to accidents.