An expert in burns treatment, Dr Ayodele Iyun, has said domestic burns cases from the explosion of gas cylinders brought to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan has increased by 50 percent in the last two years.
He declared that in the last two weeks, two women with over 65 percent burns had been admitted to the hospital due to gas explosion, adding that “almost every month, we now have at least two major burns cases.”
“Occasionally, we have cases of industrial gas explosion, like the case that occurred in Eastern Nigeria, but now we are having terrible incidences of burns from domestic cooking gas crippling into the South West.
“I can’t say the exact figure, but in terms of burns due to gas explosion, the increase is almost 50 per cent, especially domestic gas explosion. In fact, about 90 per cent of them are camp gas cylinder explosions,” he declared.
He added that the cases were more in women than men, declaring “so, we now have fewer cases of kerosene burns, it is now gas.”
According to him, “what is now important is education; people need to be aware of the dangers of using cooking gas. They need to know how to use it properly.
“People need to take precautionary measures, especially when changing cylinders and also to ensure that before they ignite, they make sure that there is no gas leaks.”