A member of the Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC), an attached agency of the Department of Science and Technology (DoST), and the Philippine Iron Steel Institute (PISI) are calling on the government to immediately ban the manufacturing of induction furnaces used to produce substandard steel products, such as deformed steel bars.

This was amid the threat of the so-called “The Big One,” a massive earthquake with more than 7 in magnitude that could topple thousands of houses, bridges, and public and private buildings, among others, that is expected to hit the country in any time that could claim more than 50,000 lives.

Induction furnaces are equipment in which heat is applied by induction heating of metal.

Their capacities range from less than one kilogram to one hundred tons, and they are used to melt iron and steel, copper, aluminum, and precious metals.

During a forum in Malate, Manila, on Wednesday, Roberto Cola, a member of the DoST-MIRDC, which directly supports the metals and engineering industry with services designed to enhance its competitive advantage, revealed that since 2002, the Chinese government has raised its concern over the existence of induction furnaces being used to produce substandard steel products.

He said that in 2016, the total output of induction furnaces was estimated at around 50 million metric tons of construction-grade steel, mainly reinforcing steel bars.

“The main drawback of induction furnace facilities is that there is no process of removing the harmful elements in the liquid steel, thus resulting in inconsistent quality of products. This results in a safety hazard since these steel products are used in the construction of buildings and infrastructure. The operation of these induction furnaces also harms their workers and surrounding communities since they generally do not have dust and emissions-collecting equipment. Harmful gases and dust generated during scrap melting are just allowed to be emitted directly into the environment,” he explained.

Further, he said that in January 2017, the Chinese government issued a policy statement banning induction furnace facilities for the production of construction-grade steel.

The Chinese government then proceeded to enforce the policy, and in June 2017, the entire induction furnace facilities producing steel products were closed down.

“Just as in the case of finished steel products, ASEAN became the preferred destination for the export of these obsolete and unwanted induction furnaces from China. For the Philippines, induction furnace steelmaking capacity increased from 366,000 metric tons per year in 2017 to around 3 million metric tons today. These facilities are the main source of sub-standard reinforcing steel bars and angle bars in the market,” according to Cola.

He said that these manufacturers of induction furnaces are now scattered in the Philippines, continuously making substandard steels that are being sold in various hardware stores, specifically in various provinces.