Concerns are being raised over incessant domestic gas explosions in Ghana with the cause being traced to defective imported Liquefied Petroleum Gas cylinders. A call has therefore been made for a total ban on the product and its accessories into the country to help curb incidents of domestic fire accidents. The Daily guide has reported that various tests conducted on some of them have revealed that the tensile strength test, chemical and mechanical compositions of the parent material as well as thickness of the steel used in their production were questionable. While some of the cylinders failed the yield pressure tests completely, results of burst pressure tests conducted on some of them were also highly unsatisfactorily. Furthermore, the coating thickness on some cylinders was below standard while some had no markings on them to indicate their date of manufacture, water capacity and serial numbers, among other vital information. Serial numbers provided on some of them also could not be used to trace batches when there was a fault. The irony of all these is that these cylinders have been manufactured in their countries of origin without the climatic conditions of Ghana being taken into consideration. Nana Wiafe Ababio, CEO of the Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company who commented on the issue expressed concern about the influx of substandard cylinders in Ghana. He said importers of such products usually give their manufacturers specifications that fall below accepted standards for manufacturing gas cylinders in Ghana. “Aside the prospects of explosion of these gas cylinders, local manufacturers are also being crippled. This is due to the uncontrolled importation of gas cylinders by individuals. They must be stopped for the sake of our dear citizens”. He pointed out also that most consumers are unable to distinguish between quality and inferior gas cylinders because of the cheap price of the imported ones, hence the influx. He therefore supported the call for a total ban on the products to safeguard the lives of consumers against mishaps. Source: Daily Guide