Ever since the commencement of the importation of used tyres in Guyana, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) has been monitoring this commodity under its Standards Compliance programme to ensure they meet the requirements of the following three standards: Specification for pneumatic passenger car tyre, Specification for new pneumatic tyres for commercial highway vehicles, and the Code of Practice for the storage of tyres, inner tubes and flaps. Monitoring of this commodity is done by Inspectors at ports of entry, bonds and outlets, where tyres are examined for labelling and quality requirements.
Annually, approximately 50 Importers and 70 Used Tyre Dealers register with the GNBS to import and sell tyres on the local market. A large majority of these registrants are involved in the trade of used tyres, which are imported mainly from Europe, and in a few instances, North America. These used tyres are rejected after use in the country of origin for varying time periods and for various reasons unknown to the buyers hence, one cannot vouch for their quality and fitness for use upon arrival in the respective country for resale.
To ensure used tyres meet the quality and labelling requirements for importation, the GNBS provides importers with a copy of the relevant national standards and advises them to ensure their foreign suppliers are aware of the requirements to minimize rejects at the time of examination in Guyana. It must be pointed out that used tyre inspection is a very labour intensive activity as tyres are individually inspected for defects. Our readership and users should also note that even with individual inspection, some defects are not visible to the naked eye and may not be detected, so users are not quite sure of the kinds of defects that may be present at the time of purchase.
On an average, over 260,000 used tyres are imported annually into Guyana, and over the last four years the GNBS has inspected over 1,100,000 used tyres that were imported at an average rejection rate of approximately 3000 per year. In addition, during routine surveillance inspections of used tyre outlets, due to inappropriate storage Inspectors have found Tyres with damaged beads, evidence of dry rot, failure to meet the 4 mm thread depth requirements, patches and plugs occurring in close proximity to each other among other defects. Tyres, which are found with these defects are destroyed by the GNBS and returned to importers and dealers for disposal.
Environmental Impact.
Given the rate of rejection for non- compliance to standards, (close to 3000 per year, in addition to those that were changed and discarded after use on vehicles,) disposal of rejected used tyres is a real cause for concern. It is not abnormal to drive by and see tyres disposed of in a careless manner that provides fertile breeding grounds for mosquitoes which cause the spread of mosquito borne diseases that pose concerns for our health authorities.
Safety concerns.
Given the fact that there are hidden defects in used tyres, human lives are placed at even greater risks especially given the practice of over- inflating and –under- inflating these tyres, using the wrong size, overloading buses used for public transportation which puts added weight on these used tyres, coupled with speeding on the roadways, one must now take an honest look and ask the question, should safety be compromised for price? After carefully considering all of the foregoing content, users and commuters alike, should after introspection, make up their own mind as to the real benefits of new tyres versus used tyres.
Finally importers and dealers of used tyres are asked to note that they will still be required to register with the GNBS as it will continue to monitor the quality and labelling of both new and used tyres imported and offered for sale in Guyana, until such time when the proposed ban takes effect and used tyres have been phased out. Next week, this column will focus on the care and use of tyres to ensure their safety and longevity.
