A man had a lucky escape after a dangerous gas sprayed his face when he punctured a coolant pipe on a freezer in Brighton.
The man’s glasses kept him from getting any gas in his eyes as he helped his daughter defrost her freezer.
He had been removing thick ice with a knife instead of a blunt scraper.
The point of the knife punctured the pipe at the rear of the freezer and released dangerous gases (tetrafluoroethane).
A fire crew and paramedics helped deal with the incident in Saunders Park View, Brighton, yesterday afternoon.
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service has since issued a warning to anyone else planning to speed up the defrosting process.
His daughter dialled 999 call and two crews from Brighton and Hove turned out and took the freezer out in the open air to allow the gases to evaporate.
Watch Commander Richard Chamberlain said: “We were told that if this gas were to get on the skin or in the eyes you need to seek medical attention, and if you inhale the gas you need oxygen therapy.
“It’s safer than ammonia, which used to be used, but can still be potentially harmful.
“The gentleman’s daughter rang up and said her father had punctured the pipe and the gas had sprayed on his face.
“Luckily he was wearing glasses, so he hadn’t got any in his eyes.
“Instinctively, when he punctured the pipe he pulled away, but we got him to wash his face.
“Then the paramedics arrived, who checked him over.
“We would advise people to always follow manufacturer’s guidelines,
“They usually supply a blunt scraper.
“Do not use anything sharp or scrape anywhere near the fridge pipes.
Hmm not a bad effort – I think we went to the same school for the gifted!