The risks of using samovars as the main tea-preparing facility in some Eastern countries

Samovars are the main tea-making devices in some Eastern countries. In part of a joint Iran–Sweden research project on epidemiology and prevention of burns, 265 households in a rural area were entered into a cross-sectional study in which safety status of samovars used and unsafe behaviours in using them were assessed. Samovars were the main device used to boil water for making tea in 75% of the households; 55.2% of samovars were placed in the kitchen, 20% in the living room and the remainder elsewhere. The device was placed where the floor surface was uneven in 15.1% of the houses. It was placed in traffic areas in at least 20.7% and where it was accessible to preschool children in 60%. Only 11.5% of the 194 kerosene samovars examined had a national standard maintenance mark. Mean volume capacity of samovars was 6.9 l (6.4–7.4 l). A tap problem was observed in 17.4% of samovars, an unstable base in 7.7%, an unstable teapot in 13.4%, unstable handles in 7.2%, broken handles in 5.7%, an unstable water container in 13.4% and an unstable container lid in 5.1%. With most of the samovars there were technical problems making them unsafe. Behaviours in using samovars were also unsafe.