Leakage of liquefied petroleum gas during motor vehicle refuelling—A new cause of cold injury

Abstract

We introduce a new and potentially common source of cold injury. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), often referred to as autogas, is now a commonly used commercial vehicle fuel. It consists of a mixture of propane and butane which when moderately compressed turns into a liquid at atmospheric temperature and then reverts back to a gas when the pressure is sufficiently reduced. It is claimed that it is cheaper and more environmental friendly than petrol or diesel, and over eight million drivers worldwide now use LPG. The number of users in the UK is increasing rapidly. Motor vehicles can now be purchased to run on LPG or, more commonly, they are converted from running on petrol or diesel [1]. One of the dangers of LPG lies in its extremely lowoperating temperatures. Owing to its rapid vaporisation and consequent lowering of temperature (the boiling point is between 42 and 0 8C, depending on the hydrocarbon mix), LPG can cause severe cold injuries if brought into contact with the naked skin [1–3]. We present two cases of cold injury following skin contact with LPG at filling stations.