REGINA – Co-op has issued a warning after some of its propane was sold without the distinct smell we’ve come to associate with it.
Propane itself is an odourless gas, but the only reason we can smell it is because a scent is normally added during production – just before it is shipped to distributors like Co-op.
One of their suppliers missed that step, according to Cal Fichter, Co-op’s vice president of energy.
“We’re treating this as a safety issue. We’re doing an investigation, trying to discover the extent of the problem. To see where this propane was distributed.”
Co-op sells propane across Saskatchewan and Manitoba and said this affects less than 10 per cent of their supply.
They will not release the name of their supplier and have said they are not the only distributor affected.
This is the first time a local engineering professor has ever heard of unscented propane.
“There is no reason not to add the scent. All the regulations stipulate that you have to add the scent so people will detect a leak,” said the University of Regina’s Amr Henni.
“It’s not really a big issue if you are outside but obviously propane is flammable, but if there is a flame, then there is a major issue there. If you are using your BBQ and there’s a leak around you, that’s also dangerous,” the industrial system engineering professor added.
In this case, the propane may not be entirely odourless.
“In all of the loads from this supplier that we’ve been able to identify so far, it actually has been mixed with other propane that we know is properly odourized,” said Fichter.
When Co-op has a better idea of where and when the affected propane was sold, they said they will notify customers.
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