IRAS 17213-3841: A late-type carbon-rich star or an early-type emission-line star?

IRAS 17213-3841 is listed in a new edition of the Catalogue of Carbon Stars as a carbon-rich star. However, the IRAS low-resolution spectrum of the star shows the oxygen-rich silicate emission feature. Spectral observations show that the star is an early-type emission-line star near the zero age main sequence with spectral type O9/B0, and is not a carbon star. Therefore it should be removed from the catalogue of carbon stars. The near infrared-IRAS two-colour diagram method used to identify IRAS 17213-3841 as a carbon star is not completely reliable and care should be exercised when using it for identification of carbon stars.