Aerosol Air Freshener Explosion

Aerosol Fires and Explosions Related Links

Aerosol Air Freshener Explosion – Texas

A Spanish woman was about to use an aerosol air freshener for the first time. She had some difficulty removing the large plastic over cap. As she struggled to remove the plastic over cap, the can bottom suddenly exploded off creating a rocket effect. It is believed that the body of the can struck her eye, causing her to lose the eye.

Can Explosion- Press Play Button

The Chemaxx role was to determine the cause of the container explosion and to access whether or not the product was defective. Experimentation on exemplars showed that the vapor pressure of the product in the container exceeded government (DOT) specifications. Hot water bath testing demonstrated than an exemplar with some rust along the bottom double seam exploded at a temperature and pressure that was below government (DOT) specifications. The hot water bath video demonstrates the energy that is released when an aerosol product of this type explodes. Note that the aerosol itself was duct taped to a brick and placed in a water bath that was gradually heated until the can exploded.

Dr. Fox is a Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator who is also an aerosol expert. He made presentations at national societies on the fire and explosion hazards associated with aerosols and was the first to publish a peer-reviewed paper on aerosol failures. He now leads the field in the number of peer-reviewed papers on aerosol failures.