Propane Wholesaler Voluntarily Issues East Coast Recall

An aerial view of Aux Sable's Illinois processing plant. (image: auxsable.com)

The Illinois-based gas wholesaler, Aux Sable, is recalling propane sold in more than a dozen states, citing an insufficient amount of odorant added to some of the gas. The voluntary recall is for propane sold in portable cylinders and tank deliveries between the dates of Feb. 25, 2010, and Sept. 30, 2010, in the following states:

Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia.

Consumers who live in these states, and whose most recent propane purchase falls between the above dates, are urged to immediately contact Aux Sable on their recall hotline to arrange a free inspection. Call (866) 473-7612, or visit propanegasalert.com.

If there isn’t enough odorant in your propane, the company will provide additional odorized gas or a replacement cylinder for free. The recall is targeted at about 23 million gallons of propane. A report on the recall from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is available here.

Aux Sable has been aware of problems with its odorizing system since last year. The company suspended rail shipments of propane this fall, after initial reports of insufficient odorant in the gas, before resuming the deliveries in October. It was unclear why a recall was issued several months later.

In its natural state, propane has virtually no smell. Odorants have been added to propane since the 1930s, to alert users to a leak. Today, an odorant called mercaptan is commonly used. The smell has been compared to rotten eggs or rotting cabbage.

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