Refrigerant gas prices are back on the political agenda, but this time it isn't just about massive price hikes, the debate is about safety and putting lives at risk.
The introduction of carbon pricing has led to massive price increases for refrigerant gas, forcing some companies to seek out cheaper, but highly dangerous alternatives, according to Steve Anderson, the executive director of Refrigerants Australia.
Anderson warned lives could be at risk from companies substituting expensive non-flammable refrigerants with cheaper, but potentially explosive, hydrocarbons that are exempt from the carbon tax.
In a letter to Climate Change Minister, Greg Combet, Anderson said there is an "extremely serious" risk posed by companies minimising costs by switching gases to avoid the high cost of carbon pricing.
The letter was sent in June, weeks before carbon pricing was introduced, but Anderson is still waiting for a reply.
Anderson said the tax "brings with it serious occupational health and safety risks for the air conditioning and refrigeration industry".
He said companies will look to flammable hydrocarbon refrigerants as they are exempt from the carbon tax.
"However, most equipment in Australia was not designed for hydrocarbon refrigerants," Anderson said adding that hydrocarbon refrigerants were the cause of the largest industrial fire in New Zealand.
Anderson's claims were supported by VASA, the peak body for automotive air-conditioning, electrical and cooling technicians.
VASA representative Mark Mitchell said carbon pricing has made flammable alternatives much more attractive but safety concerns also need to be addressed.
However, one industry group has labelled the claims as absurd scare mongering aimed at political point scoring.
The Australian Refrigeration Association (ARA) said all refrigerants are dangerous and need to be handled with care.
ARA president Tim Edwards said safety is not the issue because all refrigerants can be handled and used safely.
"There are 400 million domestic refrigerators in use worldwide based on hydrocarbon refrigerants but a low number of safety incidents," he said.
"Hydrocarbon refrigerants have been used in Australia for almost two decades for motor vehicle air conditioning with no on-road incidents and only a small number of servicing incidents due to poor work practices."
The need to examine safety procedures, legislation and licensing around refrigerants is debated in a special roundtable to be published in the December print edition of Climate Control News.
A full transcript of the roundtable will be published by CCN Online in mid-December, 2012.
