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Health Hazard: Georgian Citizens Use Dangerous Liquid Gas

November 21, 2008

Nona Suvarian, Tbilisi

Life threatening liquid gas has been legally importing to Georgia for several years already. The government has no special institution that will be authorized and responsible for control the imported substance. In the meantime, it is the blame game with all structures pointing the finger at each other for not doing their job.

On November 19 the Union of Entrepreneurs of Oil Products, Importers and Consumers stated that considerable amount of liquid gas is imported to Georgia which is ecologically dangerous and how it is also harmful for human life. The venue for .meeting was organized in the hotel “Tori”, Tbilisi.

Gasification for natural gas hookups has not been completed in Georgia. Consequently there are several areas, especially for household in Adjara, Samegrelo, Imereti, Kartli and Kakheti regions, where gas has not supplied and consumers can only use liquid gas. Some Tbilisi residents are also consumers of liquid gas. However, the greatest concentrations of potential consumers of the liquid gas are living in the above-mentioned regions. Representatives of the union stated that generally, liquid gas is not dangerous to life if it complies with industry standards. These products are imported from Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan in Georgia.

The liquid gas that is mostly imported into Georgia is from Azerbaijan, the industrial town of Sumgaiti where it is produced in Oil-Chemical Factory. However, this factory does not supply the gas for domestic consumption. There is another factory that produces the liquid gas that completely complies with industry standards. However, the gas provided from Sumgaiti factory makes 30-35 % of total gas supply. This liquid gas is fraction of Buthilen Butadiene that is used for the production of synthetic caoutchouc (rubber). According to the impact on human body, it belongs to the danger of the forth category; if the concentration of the fraction exceeds estimated norm it causes narcotic influence on a person and injures the skin. Similar liquid gas must not be used at home. The burning of such a quality releases poisonous substance as a byproduct.

Vano Mtvralashvili, president of the Union, stated that liquid gas of Sumgaiti factory is dangerous for health; the name of the factory also demonstrates the meaning-it is oil-chemical factory and not an oil-producing factory.   

“The fact that liquid air produced by Sumgaiti factory must not be used at home is well-expressed in its certificate. The document states that the raw material produced at the factory shall be used for the production of synthetic caoutchouc and not at home. The product consists of such chemicals that should not normally exceed 5 percent while in this substance it is over 40-50 percent. In addition to that, Sumgaiti liquid gas differs from ordinary gas by the released black smoke.”

The liquid gas imported from Sumgaiti factory contradicts with the National Standards of Georgia-“Air, Hydrocarbon Liquid Fuel for Residential Use” that was adopted on October 15 2000.

Purchase of similar liquid gas for entrepreneurs is quite profitable because, first of all it is cheap and it is not taxed. However, despite the fact, consumers pay the same price for the dangerous gas as for ordinary high-quality liquid gas.

The problem is that nobody inquires with entrepreneurs at the Customs for what purpose they are importing the liquid gas. According to Vano Mtvralashvili, nobody needs such a large amount of Sumgaiti liquid gas in Georgia. We do not produce caoutchouc, rubber products, and/or any other such products for what such a quality gas is necessary. The representatives of the Union applied to the representatives and experts of various structures about the problem.

“We have discussed the issue with various experts and all claimed that similar liquid gas must not be used for residential use. We also applied to the Service Department of Revenues within the Ministry of Finances and the Ministries of Environment and Healthcare. Everybody agrees that these products should not reach consumers but nobody has taken final position how it should be effectively controlled.”

There is no official structure in Georgia that controls the quality of products that is used by consumers, in this particular case, the liquid gas. Sumgaiti gas is imported to Georgia for technical usage and it is written in its certificate.  However, after importing nobody cares where and for what purpose it is used.

Mtvralashvili thinks that restrictions should work at the Custom House. Entrepreneur should document the purpose of importing the liquid gas from Sumgaiti factory.

“Service Department of Revenues taxes the production and simultaneously they should find out the purpose of importing the product, which is to produce rubber products.  We do not produce it, as there might be market for such a quality of gas but it is too limited to justify such a large amount of gas.”

Officials from various governmental agencies attended the meeting in “Tori”. They were requested to express their opinion regarding the problem. Everybody agreed that the problem is important and it must be resolved soon. However, nobody could answer the question - which body should control the imported gas in order to prevent it from reaching household consumers.

Dimitri Pavlenishvili, chief specialist of the Supervision Department of Liquid Gas and Gas Central Pipe-line within the State Inspection of Technical Supervision in Georgia: “We are in charge to control how technically liquid gas is distributed among stations, also all those items and equipment that are used in their activities. Unfortunately, however, we do not control the raw material. “Sakstandart” (Georgian standard) was in charge of similar activities but it does not exist anymore. Afterwards, Ltds were conducting those activities but interested people should have applied to them for assistance. For example, a certain person who purchased raw material and was curious whether it complied with the certificate of the producing factory could apply to the Ltd for help.”

Kakha Rukhaia, chief specialist of the department for the management of wastes and chemical substances within the Ministry of Environment: “All restriction regulations of importing and exporting any chemical substance were worked out by the Ministry of Healthcare.
They should ban and restrict export-import of substances; also they should estimate the rules for its consumption. However, I do not have information about any institution that studies the conditions of substances. They should know what impact certain product might have on human health; however, such a chain of control does not exist.

“It is not within the competence of the Ministry of Environment to ban or restrict certain chemicals. We are involved in the management of byproducts, for example what are left in the environment, and whether an enterprise has or continues to release CO2, Nitric Oxygen, etc.”

Theo Khuchua, representative of the National Forensic Bureau within the Ministryof Justice, states that they will carry out forensic expertise only after certain institution applies to them with a request.

Evidently, there is no corresponding agency in Georgia that will supply the Ministry of Healthcare with the information about those substances that are dangerous for health but are still being used by Georgian citizens. The Health Ministry cannot issue corresponding regulation that will ban usage of such dangerous chemicals. Finally, no tools exist or are working in the country that will remove dangerous liquid gas from the market.

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