Hazardous gas can found on beach

FIRE brigade personnel and Coast Guard volunteers safely removed a canister containing a hazardous gas which was washed up on one of the country’s most popular beaches.

The alarm was raised at around 8pm on Sunday when a man walking along the beach at Lahinch in Co Clare, called the regional fire control centre in Limerick to report he found two metal canisters containing a material which he believed could be harmful.

As darkness fell, gardaí, the Doolin unit of the Irish Coast Guard and three units of Ennistymon Fire Brigade assembled in the car park at Lahinch beach.

Using large torches and the lights of the qaud bike, a comprehensive search of the area was undertaken.

However just one container, measuring about 30cm in height, was discovered close to the shore. The immediate area was cordoned off.

Fire crews established the cylinder contained a liquefied gas called chlorodifluoromethane used in refrigeration. The gas, being phased out worldwide, can cause damage to human organs as well as respiratory tract, eye and skin irritation.

The canister was removed from the scene to a safe location overnight.

It is understood the container had been in the water for some time as it was covered in barnacles however it is still unclear how the container ended up in the sea.

Chief fire officer for Clare, Adrian Kelly, said: “Because of the size of the cylinder and the fact it was on the open beach, it was unlikely that there was any direct danger to the public.”