In Mexico, neighbors worry about a gas cylinder cemetery

Almost every night, Cesar Rivera and his wife have to endure the strong smell of gas from a huge warehouse of empty cylinders near their Mexico City apartment.

“The smell is so strong and unbearable that it seems that the stove is not switched off properly,” said Mr. Rivera, 37, a resident of Huichapan, a popular area in the west of the capital.

Thousands of old records are stored in the open air in the middle of the neighborhood, showing aerial photos taken by AFP.

They occupy the land of a former refinery of the state oil company Pemex, which closed in 1991 for environmental reasons.

Cylinders with a capacity of 20-30 liters of LPG belong to Gas Bienestar, which plans to either recycle or destroy them.

– Risks –

In January, Mexico City authorities confirmed that Pemex would remove leftover LPG, which contains butane and propane.

“Civil protection really came in; it didn’t see any danger. In any case, we make sure that the residents’ doubts and problems are taken into account,” said Claudia Sheinbaum, the mayor of Mexico City at the time.

Gas Bienestar did not respond to an AFP request for maintenance, and neither did Civil Protection.

“We want to vomit with a severe headache,” says another resident, Jose Juan Macias, 44, whose carpentry works alongside the old factory. The windows remained closed in the afternoon despite the heat.

He continues, saying that the authorities “say nothing is happening.” But we all think there is some danger. So we are careful not to ignite anything when it smells strong lest an explosion occur.”

– pollution –

Firefighters from a nearby station receive daily reports of gas leaks, but it’s actually from cylinders.

“We went to the old refinery site, but they don’t care about us,” says Barracks Director, Cesar Suarez, who says a lack of information and coordination limits the possibilities of a contingency plan.

LPG residue can pollute the Earth, according to Ricardo Torres of the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

“It’s a ticking time bomb,” concludes carpenter Cesar Rivera.