the one I bought had "R290 ECO-FRIENDLY REFRIGERANT" all over the box, with the chemical name nowhere to be found
(of course I immediately wanted to know what R290 was and googled it...)
Getting this crazy crap out of our homes and stuff is indeed a big step forward, though
However as you point out, some other refrigerants are pretty flammable, or otherwise generally a bit shit for your health.
Also, in my unit, there is something like 66grams, although I suspect 10 grams of that was bled off to purge the lines of air. So if there was a slow leak, its unlikely to persist for long, or cause an explosion.
A typical gas range has a flow rate of a few cubic meters per hour, or a few liters per minute. So just to get 66g of unburnt gas released, you'd need to leave a burner un-ignited for most of an hour, or considerably longer if it was burning.
If there was no added smell, I could easily leak 66 grams into the house without knowing.
So I think you are right, slow leak isn't much of a hazard.
I can see why people aren't super happy with the prospect. A stoichiometric mixture forming inside your fridge and blowing up when you open it would definitely ruin your day.
Sure, we absolutely should take precautions when chilling things with propane. Some sort of smelling agent like we put into natural gas lines seems wise to me, but it’s not like it’s some sort of weird and new threat we’re introducing into our home; we use all kinds of explosive liquids and gases all the time already, often for burning and exploding!
"Cooking with gas" is great marketing, but not so great in reality unless it's an outdoor wok.
edit: please READ the article before you think of downvoting.
The air-conditioning also used flammable gas, because Freon was in short supply
> The Boston Fire Department investigated possible causes of ignition, the rapid spread of the fire and the catastrophic loss of life. Its report reached no conclusion as to the initial cause of ignition, but attributed the rapid, gaseous spread of the fire to a buildup of carbon monoxide gas due to oxygen-deprived combustion in the enclosed space above the false ceiling of the Melody Lounge. The gas exuded from enclosed spaces as its temperature rose and ignited rapidly as it mixed with oxygen above the entryway, up the stairway to the main floor and along ceilings. The fire accelerated as the stairway created a thermal draft, and the high-temperature gas fire ignited pyroxylin (leatherette) wall and ceiling covering in the foyer, which in turn exuded flammable gas.
Yes, they used flammable gas in the AC, no that was not determined to be a source or contributing factor to the fire.
During the 1990s, former Boston firefighter and researcher Charles Kenney discovered that a highly flammable gas refrigerant, methyl chloride, had been used as a substitute for freon, which was in short wartime supply.[18] Kenney reported that floor plans, but not the fire investigation report, showed air-conditioning condenser units near street level on the other side of a non-structural wall from the Melody Lounge, and that these units had been serviced since the start of the war. Kenney also reported that photographic evidence indicates an origin for the fire in the wall behind the palm tree and suggested ignition of methyl chloride accelerant by an electrical failure caused by substandard wiring.
Apparently not...
I’d need to see any evidence whatsoever that people’s preferences here are driven by reports of fires like this. Honestly, I’d be surprised if most people are even aware of anything about the refrigerants used other than the fact that Freon is bad for the ozone layer. My chest freezer has a giant “uses propane” sticker on the side and the flammability of that never even crossed my mind, to be honest.
Also, complaining about down votes will always get you more downvotes.
Back then, they knew nothing about ozone depletion, for example.
Which is a very different assertion than your original, "People remember things like this".
I have home heating and cooking powered by propane. So do millions of other people. Nobody (except you apparently) seriously considers an obscure incident 70 years ago to justify irrational fear of a flammable gas that is alredy piped into millions of homes by the cubic foot.