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The use of a gas cylinder for more than 10 years is dangerous, an expert has said. The Production Manager of the Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company Limited (GCMC), Mr Ezekiel Mensah, explained that after a decade of using a gas cylinder, the user must have it examined by an expert to ascertain whether it is still in good shape. Mr Mensah gave the advice in an interview with the Daily Graphic on the use of old gas cylinders,. He said experts at the GCMC and some gas filling stations could help educate users to either dispose of the metallic cylinder or have it repainted or refitted. Mr Mensah expressed worry over the use of old, rusty gas cylinders and said it posed a danger to the lives of the users, their families and other residents, as such cylinders could easily explode. Buying a new cylinder Mr Mensah advised the public to properly examine an empty gas cylinder to ascertain if it is new before buying it. The GCMC Production Manager said that failure to do that could lead one to buy an old repainted cylinder. �In buying a cylinder, one should watch out for the specifications or markings on the cylinder.� He stated that a good cylinder should have the name of the manufacturer and date of the manufacture, country of origin, the type of gas it could contain, its water capacity, serial number and test pressure. The GCMC Production Manager said the life span of a cylinder began the day it was filled with gas and urged the public to buy cylinders that were made in Ghana purposely for local use, instead of patronising imported ones. Causes of gas explosion Meanwhile, the Head of the Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Opoku Oware Ampomah, has stated that 35 per cent of all burns recorded last year were the result of gas explosions. He said explosions also accounted for 44 per cent of deaths at the centre and warned against the use of faulty gas cylinders because they could explode. In a publication carried in the Saturday, January 10, 2015 issue of this paper, Dr Ampomah listed some of the causes of gas explosions to include expired cylinders, loose valves and worn-out tubes on the cylinders. Dr Ampomah said this when the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) presented him with the company�s branded souvenirs in Accra last Friday. Caution Dr Ampomah urged the public to pay close attention to the dangerous features on their gas cylinders to avoid health and other risks. He further cautioned the public to beware of quack Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) engineers who deceive people into allowing them to repair their cylinders and end up ripping them off.