Anthony Ademiluyi
The bad habit of siphoning fuel with the mouth is common among Nigerian motor mechanics, though not restricted to them as many Nigerians also indulge in it when using a hose to transfer fuel into the tank of their cars or generators. Experts are, however, warning that this popular practice is dangerous and could damage vital body organs like the lungs, liver and oesophagus. ANTHONY ADEMILUYI reports
McEwen Street is one of the prominent streets in Yaba – a popular suburb in Lagos State. The street was named after the first National Secretary of the National Council of Nigeria and the Camerouns, Mr. F.S Mc Ewen. The first English-trained tailor to set up shop in Lagos, Mr. M.O. Idowu has his shop located on that street and is still being run by his descendants.
The street also houses a large mechanic workshop where apprentices live and learn the ropes of the trade there before they ‘gain their freedom’ and leave to establish similar mechanic workshops where they like.
One of the apprentices at the mechanic workshop on Ewan Street is Ayomide Atanda. The 21-year-old who hails from Kwara State said he has always wanted to be an auto mechanic.
Speaking with Reportr Door HealthWise, he said, when he started learning the trade, he was ready to learn all the tricks needed to excel in the business of fixing cars, including how to suck fuel with his mouth.
He, however, noted that most mechanics use mouths to suck fuel while fixing cars because of the absence of needed tools to extract fuel when needed.
He said, “The reason we suck fuel with our mouth is often because of our inability to get the things to get the fuel directly when necessary. Most mechanics workshops do not have it, so apprentices learn the act of using their mouths to extract fuel. We learn it from our ‘oga’. When we suck the fuel from the hose from kegs and it comes out, we can easily transfer the fuel to a car tank or anywhere we want to use it. It is faster than turning it directly as part of the fuel might pour away and waste. That is why we do it.
“We also suck out fuel from car engines with our mouths sometimes when we want to use the fuel to wash our hands. There is a bit of methylated spirit in the fuel. Immediately you wash your hand with fuel, the oil on your hand or body will remove easily. So we wash hands and body with fuel first before using soap to clean the smell of the fuel from our body”. Atanda added that fuel is for other cleaning purposes in mechanic workshops, noting that it is used to clean some vehicle parts, especially when they are greasy and oily.
He also claimed the use of petrol for all sorts of things helps mechanics prevent some infections, saying, “If you wash your hands with petrol when you have a cut on your nails or hand, it (the petrol) will kill any bacteria and you will not have tetanus.”
Atanda confirmed that there are occasional mistakes of swallowing small petrol while sucking fuel, especially among apprentices that are yet to perfect the skill of sucking fuel with their mouth.
When asked if he was aware that swallowing petrol even by mistake could lead to serious health problems including lung damage in the long term, Atanda said, “Me, I don’t know about that o. Anyway, na job risk. All jobs get risk.”
Another mechanic apprentice, Seun Quadri also told our correspondent that sucking fuel with the mouth is a normal thing for mechanics, noting that any mechanic that cannot do it is not ready to work.
He said, “That is a normal thing. It is the way we transfer fuel from one thing to another. It is also the way we extract the fuel we use to clean dirt from some part of the engine or our hands.”
Quadri said he is not aware sucking fuel with his mouth to siphon petrol is dangerous.
“I don’t know about any danger. We have been doing it for years. That’s the way we work,” he said.
However, just as it was at this Yaba mechanic workshop, this risky practice is quite common in many mechanic workshops across the country.
What is Fuel Siphoning?
Fuel siphoning is simply the act of emptying the fuel tank of a vehicle by using one’s mouth to suck the fuel through a hose. The contents of the tank, for instance, can be transferred this way to a container like a jerry can and then used to fill up the tank of a different vehicle or used for other purposes.
Chemical components in fuel
According to a paper written by Karuna Arjoon and James Speight and published in MDPI Journal – a peer-reviewed, open-access journal, the chemical components of the fuel are: Carbon – 83 to 87% Hydrogen – 10 to 14% Nitrogen – 0.1 to 2% Oxygen – 0.05 to 1.5%. According to health experts, it is dangerous injecting these chemicals.
Sucking fuel with mouths not limited to mechanics
Findings by our correspondent revealed that the habit of sucking fuel is not limited to mechanics. A cross-section of Nigerians from many walks of life including literate and semi-literate people said they do it once in a while. While some people said they know it is unhealthy and could be dangerous others said they are not aware it has any serious risks.
Sucking fuel with mouth can damage respiratory tract –Expert
According to a Consultant Public Health Physician and Lecturer with the Department of Community Medicine, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, who is also the Director, Funmi Adunni Olayinka Diagnostic and Wellness Centre, EKSUTH, Ado Ekiti, Dr. Adebowale Femi Akinwumi, sucking fuel with mouths to siphon petrol should be discouraged among artisans and other Nigerians as it could lead to serious damage of the respiratory tracts
He told Reportr Door Healthwise that those doing it are indulging in dangerous practices and should be discouraged from continuing with it.
“First, the health implications will depend on what type of fuel they usually suck, inhale, or ingest and the quantity, and also the duration of such practices. For an instance, petrol (which the Americans called gasoline) is made up of hydrocarbons and some say it contains over 150 different hydrocarbon chemicals. Many of these chemicals have dangerous effects on humans. Inhalation of the chemicals may affect the respiratory tract (airway), including the lungs. You could have irritations of the airways, you could have inflammation of the lungs resulting in pneumonitis, causing cough and difficulty with breathing. If that individual is exposed for a long time, it could cause serious damage to the lungs.
“Similarly, in the process of sucking the fuel, one can also ingest or swallow part of the fuel and it could lead to abdominal pain, diarrheoa, and vomiting. The chemicals can also affect the neurological system causing headaches, fatigue, dizziness, and other neurological symptoms. The aromatic hydrocarbons in the fuel are also carcinogenic and over time, they could lead to the development of blood cancer, lung cancer, etc.” Dr. Akinwumi said.
Speaking further, Dr. Akinwumi said, “This practice of sucking fuel with the mouth needs to be discouraged, the unions of this group of workers should be engaged to educate them. I believe they can be re-orientated through health education to change and stop the practice.
He also cautioned against the practice of washing hands and body with petrol. He said, “That is another unwholesome practice that is common among this group of workers. Agreed, tools and engine parts soiled with some lubricants can only be cleaned with certain solvents, for which water is not suitable. Petrol is one such solvent. They do such cleaning with bare hands and also washed their hands with fuel. They should stop. The health implications of such practice include skin abrasions, rashes, and blisters. Such conditions are called dermatitis. It can also cause numbness and tingling sensation in the fingers after prolonged usage. Many chemicals in the fuel are irritants that can affect the various layers of the skin.
“What they need to do, as much as possible, while trying to clean the soiled tools is to prevent contact with their skin or avoid the use of bare hands in doing such. The place of using gloves while working on the vehicles and cleaning their tools becomes very important. There are gloves designed for use in factories and workshops that they should wear while working or cleaning soiled tools. And, after they are done with their work, they should wash their hands with soap and water. As much as possible as there is a need to minimise direct contact of their skin with fuel, lubricants, or oil that is quite common in their workplace environment.
“Some people even use petrol to clean open wounds. Why should anyone pour fuel into a wound? Why? This is one of the practices among our people one tends to wonder what is the rationale behind such. If one has a small fresh wound or cut, fuel should not be the next thing to pour into it. The first reaction is to clean it under running water or pour water on it and rinse the breached surface off and administer first aid care. If the cut is deep, you can pack gauze or a clean piece of material around the cut surface to control the bleeding and take the individual to the hospital. So putting fuel on an open wound is wrong. What you are doing is adding those chemicals in the petrol, those hydrocarbons into your bloodstream and directly into your body through the exposed skin surface. It could also delay wound healing. When there is a cut, a natural process usually takes place to arrest the bleeding and if the cut is small, the bleeding stops. But, adding fuel to the wound, that natural process is likely to be disrupted.
“A similar practice, which I have noticed among some artisans is that when they have a wound, they will take soil and rub it on the wound. What they are doing is adding microorganisms (germs) and other impurities directly into their body. Because the soil surface, as we know, has microorganisms one cannot see with the naked eye. One dangerous micro-organism found in the soil that if it gets to the wound and can cause death is tetanus. So, if one added fuel, and then soil into the wound, one is practically adding harmful chemicals and microorganisms into their blood. And, this could have serious health consequences. I want to encourage our people to desist from these habits.”
He urged mechanics to embrace good hygiene by making regularly washing hands a key part of their operations, noting that good hand hygiene is important for everyone irrespective of their professions or jobs.
“To make this possible, there are a few things that should be available in their workshops across the country. These include a good water supply, basic sanitation facilities, and several points for hand washing with running water and soap made available at all times.
“To ensure the availability and proper usage, this may require collaboration and support between the Unions of the workers and government and its relevant agencies such as the environmental health unit in the local government, the Occupational Health and Safety unit in the Ministry of Health, the Factory Inspectorate in the Ministry of Labour and Productivity, and the Ministry of Environment in each state of the federation,” he said.
‘Using mouth to suck fuel can cause liver, kidney damage’
Also speaking with Reportr Door Healthwise, Senior Registrar and cardiologist at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Dr. Okocha Henry, condemned the practice of using the mouth to suck petrol, noting that it is very common among roadside mechanics.
He affirmed that petrol contains hydrocarbons that should not be ingested by humans as they could damage body organs.
He said, “Those hydrocarbons contain carbon and hydrogen and definitely those hydrocarbons are quite stable in the body in the sense that when a person ingests it they can mutate the stomach and they can enter the body through the blood. The first point of contact is the liver. The liver can detoxify such but if it is much then the liver cannot easily overwhelm it and then other problems will ensue.
He stressed that prolonged exposure of the liver to fuel can damage the organ and also cause other health issues including diarrohea and other gastrointestinal system issues.
“What they are doing will affect their health and also like I said when you take it for a very long time and probably it gets to the liver and the kidney because it will affect the liver and the kidney, it can cause problems as it can cause kidney failure.
“Also, if the volume is much carbon tends to act on oxygen in the blood and therefore prevent normal oxygen from getting to the brain and the person will develop seizure, convulsion and the rest of them and dizziness but these are when it is now very much in the blood and carbon reacts with the oxygen.
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