“A frostbite damage looks like a burn,” Sangalli explained. “The end outcome is the same – tissue injury.” According to Sangalli, a severe case of propane inhalation can cause problems with blood circulation. “Tissue dies and becomes gangrenous” as a result.
According to Sangalli, multiple examples of children in Connecticut being badly wounded as a result of inhaling propane to achieve a high occur each year.
by Rich Morahan
Tanks for Propane Exchange are both valuable and risky. That is why they are kept in confined cages by shops. However, according to recent news reports, locks and cages are not always effective. Take a look at the following headlines and stories…
“Theft of propane tanks at a Walker County gas station was caught on tape.” WTVC, Walker County, GA, March 12, 2019: The incident occurred early Sunday morning, and video showed the robbers breaking into the holding cage using bolt cutters.
“Two Dayton establishments have reported propane tank thefts.” Dayton, Ohio, February 26, 2019 WHIO TV 7 (Channel 7): More than 20 propane tanks were stolen from two companies in Dayton, according to police. Propane cages had been harmed. Only eight of the thefts were caught on video surveillance. According to the study, a new full tank costs $50.
“Workers Assist in the Capture of a Suspected Propane Thief,” WNEP 16 Scranton, PA, February 9, 2019: Employees at a Scranton plant discovered up to 20 propane tanks had inexplicably vanished. Because the robber had only two tanks in his trunk when he was captured, the crimes most likely took place over several weeks.
“Propane tanks were stolen from two locations in Northeast Philadelphia,” according to the report. WPVI, Philadelphia, PA, Dec. 8, 2018: As they look for the individual responsible, police are trying to figure out why someone would take 18 propane tanks. The cage that locks the tanks was hacked open with bolt cutters, and 15 tanks were stolen, according to video. According to police, the gas station management is more concerned about what might happen to the tanks than about lost revenue.
There are evident patterns here – cages that have been cut, etc “theft spaced out over time and “surveillance” with blurry video All of the articles characterize these incidents as theft for profit, with the operators losing hundreds to thousands of dollars, but the Philadelphia article adds a more ominous note in at least one case: “The gas station manager is more concerned about what someone might want with the tanks than about the lost revenue.”
What may the robbers have in mind for those tanks? Are you going to use them to cook or store meth? Or do you want to utilize them to make explosive devices? Stolen propane and anhydrous ammonia tanks have a lengthy history of being used to make meth. Meth manufacturing, according to the National Propane Gas Association (NPGA), destroys the tanks, weakening them to the point that they could explode.
The NPGA has issued a safety warning “This deterioration will cause the valve body or its components to shatter, which can lead to a forceful, unexpected ejection of the valve from the cylinder, resulting in personal injury or death.”
Tanks are most commonly stolen for use in the meth industry or for simple black-market resale, but there have been more nefarious possibilities, such as in Missouri in 2015, when the bulk sale of hundreds of cell phones coincided with the theft of dozens of propane tanks. With those options, it may be time to move on to the next level of exchange tank security, particularly for cages in high-risk areas.
If locks and cages are the targets, securing each tank with a set of reusable keyed alike locks is a simple approach. If you secure each tank and then lock your cage, you can be sure that even a SawzallTM wiz won’t be able to lift your tanks any further than the cage.
Locking up 20 or more propane exchange tanks with a nearly vandal-proof lock may be less expensive than installing a security cage, and locking up the tanks has other advantages.
During business hours, you can leave the cage door closed but unlocked, and simply go to the cage with a customer, remove the lock, and reuse it for your next refilled tank. You are doubly secure with the ease and security of a single corporate key when your locks and cage locks are keyed similarly with a registered vandal-resistant key.
Also, note that I said a vandal-resistant key with a keyed similar combination. There are now two tank locking devices on the market. A round tube is used in an older gadget “The key.” Because the plug may be opened with a piece of copper tubing, this device is not a lock. Instructions can be found on YouTube. One lock, comparable to a vending machine lock, is available on the market: a seven-pin brass lock with a tubular key. POLock was first offered by Lock America of Corona, CA, to block the outlet valve of residential and commercial tanks to prevent tampering and unlawful refills. Lock America has been in the lock security business for more than three decades. The same principle applies to the swap tank lock. The dealer tightens the brass fitting by hand and covers it with a brass slip ring cap. The cap spins, making it impossible to remove the fitting. The cap can only be removed with the dealer’s key to gain access to the fitting. The company’s key code is unique and registered for security and quick replacement (24 hours if the customer pays overnight charges).
The operator also receives a bonus with Lock America’s system. The cage door lock, whether it’s a disk lock or a hockey puck lock, can be keyed to the same key code by Lock America. You end up with a two-tiered defense.
Propane exchange tanks are a multimillion-dollar industry, and replacement tanks can cost more than $100. Although a security cage can protect the operator’s investment, security cages are not theft-proof, as seen by the news articles discussed here and elsewhere. In addition to the lock on your exchange tank cages, it may be time to install a real POLock as a second line of defense.
Is it possible for liquid propane to burn your skin?
Skin burns can occur when liquid propane comes into direct contact with the skin (frostbite). Dispose of any infected clothing. Seek medical help right away if you have blisters, frostbite, or freeze burns. Ingestion is highly unlikely.
What occurs when you inhale propane fumes?
- Low quantities are not dangerous when inhaled. A high concentration can cause oxygen in the air to be displaced. Symptoms such as fast breathing, quick heart rate, clumsiness, emotional upheavals, and exhaustion might occur when there is less oxygen available to breathe. As oxygen becomes scarcer, nausea and vomiting, collapse, convulsions, coma, and death are all possible outcomes. Physical exertion causes symptoms to appear more quickly. Organs such as the brain and heart can be permanently damaged by a lack of oxygen. When present in excessive amounts, it can be harmful to the nervous system. Headache, nausea, dizziness, sleepiness, and confusion are all possible symptoms. It’s possible that it’ll produce an erratic pulse.
- Skin Contact: Doesn’t irritate the skin. The skin might be chilled or frozen if it comes into direct touch with the liquid gas (frostbite). Numbness, prickling, and itching are all symptoms of mild frostbite. A burning feeling and stiffness are common symptoms of more severe frostbite. It’s possible that the skin will turn waxy white or yellow. In severe situations, blistering, tissue death, and infection may occur.
- Contact with the eyes is not a bother. The eye can be frozen if it comes into direct contact with the liquid gas. There is a risk of permanent eye injury or blindness.
ACGIH (American Conference for Governmental Industrial Hygienists): Not designated.
Is it possible to steal gas from a tank?
It’s been going on for almost as long as there have been automobiles and gas stations. Fuel theft increases as gas prices climb.
The national average for a gallon of gasoline is well over $4, which means that gas thieves can make a lot of money. Poachers all around the United States have been hard at work devising new techniques to extract fossil fuel from vehicles and service stations.
Thieves are allegedly drilling directly into gas tanks in Kansas City to avoid anti-rollover valves that prohibit siphoning on newer automobiles. Miscreants in a minivan with a customized trap door allegedly took roughly 1,000 gallons of diesel from a petrol station’s tanks over several days in Houston.
While no gasoline or diesel vehicle is impenetrable to theft, there are a few basic actions you can do to protect yourself from fuel theft.
Despite the fact that offenders use clandestine labs to make a range of illicit narcotics, methamphetamine accounts for 80 to 90% of the total drug output. Many of the answers to methamphetamine labs are likely to apply to other types of drug labs as well.
A smokable type of crystal methamphetamine is usually referred to as “ice.”
For more technical information, see Bureau of Justice Assistance (1998) and Sevick (1993).
- Drug addicts commit violent crimes (such as domestic violence and child abuse), as well as property crimes to obtain money to acquire narcotics or the chemicals needed to make them.
Harms Caused by Clandestine Methamphetamine Labs
Explosions, flames, chemical burns, and poisonous gases from clandestine methamphetamine labs produce three sorts of harm: 1) bodily injury; 2) environmental dangers; and 3) child endangerment.
Physical Injury From Explosions, Fires, Chemical Burns, and Toxic Fumes
Explosions, fires, chemical burns, and hazardous fume inhalation are all concerns when chemicals are mixed in clandestine methamphetamine labs. Chemical exposure threatens those who mix the chemicals (known as “cooks” or “cooks”), as well as emergency responders, hazardous material cleanup crews, neighbors, and future property occupants. Although the long-term health hazards of such exposure are unknown, one must assume they are severe.
What is the odor of ether?
Aromatic, sweet odor that is frequently accompanied by a sweet taste. A “hospital odor” is sometimes used to characterize it. Irritating to the nose. Common solvents used in paint thinners, paint removers, adhesives, and cleaning fluids have a sweet odor. This is a common odor in auto body shops.