How to use alcohol stove safely? Here are some notes:
Limit alcohol use
Three common types of alcohol today are dry alcohol, jelly alcohol and water alcohol. However, experts note that it is necessary to limit the use of alcohol because if it is spilled or poured on people, it will cause a fire very quickly and easily spread.
The recent incident of a waiter pouring alcohol into a panic, causing burns to many people recently in Can Tho is a typical example.
Alcohol is almost non-explosive but very flammable. Alcohol burns often leave deep wounds, easy to cause complications. Therefore, users must turn off all the fire left in the kitchen before adding alcohol.
Beware of methanol alcohol
Dry alcohol and jelly are used more often than alcohol and are generally safer. It takes about half an hour for each alcohol pill to burn.
The core ingredients of dry alcohol and jelly alcohol are pure ethanol combined with some other coloring additives.
Ethanol is of plant origin, considered as a potential clean fuel that can replace fossil fuels in the future. In particular, E5 gasoline is a popular fuel currently using ethanol.
Dry alcohol, alcohol jelly has advantages such as strong burning, long and steady without residue, no explosion or spill, no toxic substances, no burning smoke.
However, on the market, methanol alcohol is half cheaper than ethanol, so it is "favored" by many production facilities.
Burning methanol creates toxic fumes that cause stinging, burning eyes, even impaired vision or affect the nervous system.
If you inhale the gas when methanol alcohol burns, you will immediately be dizzy, burn your nose, and even cause damage to your mucous membranes. In addition, when methanol alcohols penetrate the skin, they can cause itching or atopic dermatitis.
The characteristic to identify methanol alcohol is that when burned, black smoke rises, and at the same time creates a blue flame, with an unpleasant pungent odor. Meanwhile, ethanol burns to create a yellow flame, without a pungent odor, when it is burned out, there is a lot of water at the bottom of the stove.
Therefore, when burning, once you see signs of alcohol containing methanol, you should stop using it. At the same time, when buying dry alcohol, alcohol jelly, you should choose products with clear brand information
Do not use your hands to add alcohol, do not use lighters to light the fire
Most accidents caused by alcohol stoves are due to the carelessness of the user. In particular, when adding alcohol to the stove while the fire is still burning, it will be very easy to burn. Therefore, when buying an alcohol stove, you should choose a type with an easy-to-pull lever that is convenient to turn off the stove. At the same time, should use alcohol tongs, not hands.
When lighting an alcohol stove, paper or other media should be used. Absolutely do not use the lighter to light the fire directly because it is easy to cause burns, especially when your hands are wet with alcohol when opening the box. When cooking, you should sit far away from the alcohol stove, avoid contact with the smoke emitted from the kitchen, and at the same time keep the room well-ventilated. In addition, avoid using a pot that is too large, as it can cause the stove to spill dangerously. How to treat alcohol burns?
If you accidentally get an alcohol burn, the first thing to do is to quickly get away from the cause of the burn, specifically here is the alcohol stove. Next, immediately remove the objects lying on the burned skin such as rings, rings, clothes... to reduce the heat for the wound. The burned area should be kept clean to avoid dangerous infection. Soak the burned part in cold water to cool the wound, but do not use ice to cool the burn. Do not let the wound come into contact with oil, fat, fish sauce ... on the dining table or arbitrarily apply foreign substances to the burn area. Also, do not burst the blisters if they have formed, do not even peel off the burned skin even if it gets on clothes. If first aid is available, cover the burn with a clean bandage or cloth. If the wound is severe, you need to quickly move to the nearest treatment facility.
