Follow gas heater safety tips, doctors ask people

KABUL (Pajhwok): With the advent of the winter, doctors have urged people to be extremely cautious while suing gas and coal heaters.

In recent years, as a result of the increasing use of gas heaters, there have been accidents of fire and suffocation. In some of such incidents, people have lost their lives.

Additionally, the improper use of coal has also caused suffocation to many families.

Dr. Faidullah Omari, a specialist at the Antani Hospital in Kabul, told Pajhwok Afghan News: “Suffocation happens when the air in the room contains carbon monoxide instead of oxygen.

“When people inhale carbon monoxide instead of oxygen, it enters their red blood cells, organs and tissues of the body. This leads to suffocation and unconsciousness.”

He warned inattention and poor-quality fuel could result in suffocation. He claimed the gas imported into the country was of inferior quality and caused accidents.

The doctor urged the people using gas heaters to exercise extreme caution. Before using the gas heater, the balloon should be controlled to block leakage, which causes fatal fires.

Following their use, cylinders and heaters must be pulled out of the bedroom, Omari stressed, noting several shocking incidents had occurred in recent years. Similar incidents have been reported even in recent days.

According to him, there should be a channel for oxygen to enter the room and exit of the gases produced by coal, oak and gas heaters.

Dr. Sayed Farid Shah Rafi, an internal medicine specialist at the Wazir Akbar Khan Hospital, also linked fire and suffocation incidents to carelessness.

“I want my compatriots to prevent such incidents by following safety tips in installing and using heating systems,” he commented.

Dr. Sharafat Zaman, spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health, advised households to be careful when using fuels to heat their homes.

He, too, believed that fire and suffocation incidents occurred due to recklessness.

Mansura, 24, who lives in the Kota-i-Sangi area of Kabul, lost four members of her family to a gas cylinder explosion three years ago.

She told Pajhwok: “Three years ago, I lost my father, mother, a nephew and a niece to a gas cylinder blast. Some parts of my bodies were burnt and I’m still undergoing treatment for the burn injuries.”

She recalled: “The incident happened when all family members were gathered at home and we turned on our Turkey-made heater. The gas cylinder was also in the room. When the room was heated up, the cylinder exploded, destroyed the entire house,”

She asked people to exercise maximum caution when using gas and observe safety precautions to avoid harmful incidents.

sa/mud

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