Danger of fire and explosion from poor quality gas

(Baonghean) - Illegal gas decanting and appropriation of gas cylinders... not only damages the assets and reputation of legitimate gas businesses but also causes serious consequences to human safety and life.

According to the Nghe An Gas Association, the average total gas output consumed each month is about 2,000 tons. A qualified gas cylinder reaching consumers must go through many steps: registering a trademark at the Vietnam Intellectual Property Office, registering a business at the Department of Industry and Trade, having the correct weight as stated on the label, having a shrink-wrap seal, a stamp of origin, an anti-counterfeit stamp from the Ministry of Public Security and a gas cylinder insurance card. However, many floating gas brands that do not have or do not meet the above conditions are still openly circulating on the market, "deceiving" ignorant consumers.

Checking and seizing illegally appropriated gas cylinders of Thanh Hoa Petroleum Company Limited (Hoang Mai Town) (Photo provided by Nghe An Gas Association).

There are two ways to make fake gas labels and gas that do not ensure quality that the Fire Prevention and Fighting Police and the Provincial Market Management have discovered: "Cutting ears, grinding shells" and illegally filling gas. For the "cutting ears, grinding shells" trick, "ghost businesses" register to do gas business legally but only produce a small amount of gas cylinders, then collect shells of other gas companies to "magically" transform into their own brands. The old cylinders have their handles broken, the codes replaced, the embossed gas brand name on the shell abraded to be re-scanned into another company name. A series of brands such as Petrolimex, Petro Vietnam, Petronas, Gia Dinh Gas, Dat Viet... are all in trouble because of this trick.

The cost to produce a cylinder is about 500,000 VND, while the cost to make a fake one is only half that, which is a lucrative source of illegal profit that makes fake gas traders disregard the law to profit.

Checking portable fire extinguishers at the gas storage warehouse of Nghe An Gas Service Company Limited

In May 2015, Hoang Mai Town Police discovered and confiscated 10,300 illegally appropriated gas cylinders from Thanh Hoa Petroleum Company, Hoang Mai branch. It is estimated that the amount of gas cylinders that this company appropriated is worth about 2.5 billion VND, and is being gathered to grind the shells and put them on the market for consumption.

In fact, this problem not only pushes many gas businesses to the brink of bankruptcy but also causes the danger of fire and explosion in people's daily life. Because the gas cylinders after being thinned have changed their structure and standards, leading to a high risk of leakage. Consumers who buy "cut-off and ground" gas are no different from buying a "time bomb" to place in their home, with a high risk of suffering the consequences of fire and explosion that are dangerous to their lives.

The second problem is illegal filling in two ways: illegal filling at filling stations and at retail agents, usually with 12 kg cylinders and mini gas cylinders used for portable gas stoves. Illegal filling of gas without quality and safety inspection for users is a dangerous violation in the liquefied petroleum gas business. "Swindlers" not only empty the wallets and disregard the safety of consumers, but they themselves are also playing with death.

A 12 kg gas cylinder can be filled into 70 mini gas cylinders, with very simple tools: a filling tray and 2 liters of boiling water! When the mini gas cylinder is full, if the filler is slow to pull out of the filling tray within a few seconds, the cylinder can explode due to the excess weight, the thin gas cylinder shell cannot withstand the pressure. The reckless gas filler can lose his life, and if lucky, he will suffer severe burns.

In fact, most people do not pay attention to distinguish between real and fake gas. The negligence and indulgence of consumers is one of the reasons why smuggled gas and floating gas are widely consumed in the market.

Ms. Vu Thi Ngoc (31 years old, Hung Dung ward, Vinh city) said: “In the past, my family bought gas based on the phone number printed on the flyers, but we didn’t know the exact address of the dealer or whether they had a business license or not. Every time we changed gas, we just called someone to replace the tank and rarely checked the information. Now we are more cautious, so I asked to see the employee’s papers.”

The problem of fake and smuggled gas is not only a concern for consumers, but also a concern for authorities because it causes tax losses for the State, damages the property and reputation of legitimate gas businesses, and causes consumers to lose their rights in terms of price and quality; especially causing serious consequences to human safety and life. Consumers must protect themselves through checking before changing gas cylinders, and proactively reporting when detecting suspicious signs.

Hoang Van