BENGALURU: If you have an oxygen cylinder at home, think twice before you light up a cracker this Diwali. While the state government has given permission only to burst green crackers, doctors warn that bursting any kind of crackers with oxygen cylinders in houses is dangerous. Oxygen cylinders, which many people have been purchasing or taking on rent for Covid-positive patients under home care, are extremely sensitive and can actually blow up like a bomb, doctors said.
Dr Satyanaryana Mysore, senior pulmonologist, Manipal Hospitals, explained that oxygen does not burn, but works like an oxidizer that supports combustion. “If fire starts within three metres of a oxygen cylinder in your house, then it can create a blast and feed the flames. It can even blow up your home like a bomb,” he said.
According to experts, after the state government insisted on home isolation for asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic Covid-19 patients, many people have been purchasing or renting oxygen cylinders. In Bengaluru alone, oxygen cylinder banks store about 150 to 200 units and at least 60 to 70 are rented on a daily basis.
“People are not aware of the safety requirements for oxygen cylinders. Even lighting a diya next to a cylinder can cause a fire. People have to be extremely cautious,” said Rajendra Sharma, a oxygen cylinder supplier. He added that even an open flame or a heating source like a candle, or a gas stove, within three metres of a oxygen cylinder is risky.
Health experts are rooting for a complete ban on fire crackers, and with the government allowing bursting of green crackers, they are advocating that people should take the responsibility and refrain from bursting of crackers.“Especially in dense areas of Bengaluru, where houses are very closely built, it is easy for disasters to occur. ,” Dr Gopikrishna K, a senior doctor, advised.