Experts evaluating the natural gas explosions that caused the deaths of 3 people in Istanbul yesterday and one person in Ankara today remind that negligence always comes to the forefront, but there are many things natural gas users should do before negligence. Occupational Health and Safety Expert Dr. Nuri Bingöl stated, 'We must take precautions; these are not very costly things. When these are taken, we can prevent such incidents.' Occupational Health and Safety Expert Rüştü Uçan warned, 'If we are leaving home for an extended period, it is very beneficial to close the natural gas valve before we go.'
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Health Sciences Deputy Dean, Occupational Health and Safety Specialist Dr. Lecturer Nuri Bingöl evaluated the natural gas explosions that caused the deaths of 3 people in Istanbul yesterday and one person in Ankara today.
Dr. Bingöl, stating that natural gas must accumulate in large quantities to reach its explosion limits in order to explode, noted the following:
“Since natural gas is a methane-heavy gas, it reaches its explosion limit between 5% and 15%. This means there has been an accumulation exceeding 5%. Closed environment and the window is not open. It could be a spark generated during switching electricity on or off, or an intervention with a flame like striking a match or smoking. I think the explosion occurred when it came into contact with one of these.”
“Negligence is always at the forefront”
Dr. Bingöl, also providing information on what might cause explosions, continued as follows:
“Negligence always comes to the forefront, but there are many things that need to be done before negligence. Just as there are things natural gas users need to do, there are precautions they can take. If you forget to turn off the stove, the kettle overflows, and if it extinguishes the burner by itself, a natural gas leak occurs.
Natural gas is an odorless gas; it is odorized so that it can be detected when it leaks. It is odorized so its smell can be detected. You will smell it if there is a leak in your home. However, when you smell it, we should not use anything that could ignite it. If you try to turn on a lamp, an electrical spark behind the lamp could cause ignition.”
“We don't take precautions because it's not mandatory”
Dr. Nuri Bingöl also explained what to do in case of a leak:
“When we detect leaks, methods such as opening windows, ventilating the house, shutting off any open gas, opening doors if there is a leak, and creating a draft can be followed. There are also simpler precautions. For example, there are detectors. These detectors are automatic gas shut-off devices. İGDAŞ makes their use mandatory in industry. If you are opening a restaurant, İGDAŞ requests a detector from you when you apply. Therefore, these are precautions that can be taken. We should take these precautions voluntarily, meaning most of us don't because it's not mandatory. But we need to take them; they are not very costly things. When these are taken, we can prevent such incidents.”
Users need to be aware
Occupational Health and Safety Specialist Dr. Lecturer Nuri Bingöl pointed out that it takes time for users to become aware, and said:
“Has a destructive effect like dynamite, like a hand grenade”
Dr. Bingöl, stating that an explosion occurs if ignition happens, concluded his words as follows:
“We don't call it natural gas compression; natural gas doesn't get compressed, and even if it did, it wouldn't explode. This is not a pressurized event like LPG. The atmosphere formed as a result of accumulation is what we call an explosive atmosphere or explosive environment. Therefore, its name is not natural gas compression, but an explosive environment explosion. They explode creating approximately 10 atmospheres of pressure. They have a destructive effect, like dynamite, like a hand grenade… We also call them explosives.”
“We don't know how to use natural gas”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Head of Occupational Health and Safety Department Dr. Lecturer Rüştü Uçan also evaluated the natural gas explosions.
Dr. Uçan pointed out that natural gas should be used as energy, saying, 'However, this gas is a dangerous gas with great energy. Natural gas is lighter than air and can accumulate at higher levels. When it exceeds 5%, a small spark can cause an explosion due to reasons like any igniter, turning a light on or off, opening a refrigerator, or receiving a call on a mobile phone.'”
Detectors must be in kitchens!
Dr. Rüştü Uçan, stating that walls were destroyed in the Istanbul explosion, spoke as follows:
“We don't know how to use natural gas. Natural gas is an odorless gas, but they add a smell like rotten eggs to it. It is possible to detect from this smell. However, there's a situation: we don't know the condition of that house. What kind of leak occurred. Currently, it's a period when many people are returning from summer homes. During these periods, houses remain closed for a long time. If there's a leak from the stove or elsewhere in the house, these accumulations can occur. Therefore, if we are leaving home for an extended period, it is very beneficial to close the natural gas valve before we go. Also, we use it especially a lot in kitchens. There must be detectors in kitchens. Their price is also reasonable. We need to use these.”