Gas Can Explosions

[allisonhester 30]

This morning, NBC’s Today Show featured an investigative report on the risk of plastic gas can explosions. Considering that many of our readers use gas cans regularly, I felt it was important to pass along.

 

The report has found that  nearly a dozen deaths and 1,200 injuries due to plastic gas can explosions over the past 15 years. Specifically, the gas cans were more likely to explode when the temperatures were cold outside, there was a low volume of gas left in the can, and the can was tipped at a 42-degree angle. While the gas can industry has not yet confirmed these reports, it is believed by experts that the use of a flame arrestor can also help prevent these accidents from happening.

 

 

http://www.ecleanmag.com/gas-can-explosion-investigation-on-nbc-today-show-2013-12-04/

[Douglas Hicks 128]

Static electricity is more common on cold, clear days.  Possible factor? 

 

I think the cause is most likely the explosive language used because the code-compliant fuel cans leak fuel all over the equipment.

[mick m 19]

I had to do some pressure cleaning at BP s oil refinery here in Perth a while ago, & their mechanic was checking my vehicle over & he pointed to my plastic jerry can & said it wasn't allowed on site. reason? When petrol comes out of the spout, it creates a small static charge. So I had to use a metal one. no big deal, but you'd think that a steel one would be more likely to give off a spark if dropped. Don't quite know how that would happen, but thems the rules.

[Alexy 85]

Another waste of money...DOT approved gas can $269.00

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200518084_200518084?cm_mmc=Google-pla-_-Fuel%20Transfer%20%2B%20Lubrication-_-Fuel%20Cans-_-27599&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=27599&gclid=CKbrhNPWm7sCFTRo7AodjVgA_A

 Same 5 gallon plastic gas can $19.00

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200513238_200513238

 

All of them are now sold with the equally stupid EPA mandated no spill gas spouts.

http://lfb.org/today/how-government-wrecked-the-gas-can/

[Rapid HotClean 26]

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=racing+fuel+jug&tag=hydsma-20&index=aps&hvadid=25933247034&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8097895391941050388&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=m&ref=pd_sl_7a52c8ipgv_b

[John T 744]

We used the metal Jerry cans with the large metal spout which you can't get anymore. Now I have some skinnier metal spouts which suck. We also have the plastic gas cans with the plastic gas spout which bite.

There's also some documentation that when some people gassed up their cars there was also static explosions. So what's the answer?

[cleanhoods 43]

Go to a fire fighter supply house they will have some good cans for a fair price. Just a quick search of the net i found this http://www.nationalfirefighter.com/index.php?cPath=20_307 hope this helps.

Marko

Edited December 7, 2013 by cleanhoods

[cleanhoods 43]

Fuel Containers EPA & CARB Compliant Gas Containers

CARB stands for California Air Resources Board. They established environmental requirements for portable fuel containers in California. Some other states have also adopted these requirements. Those states currently include Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. In these states, the fuel cans and nozzles sold MUST be CARB compliant. CARB compliant means:

1.

An autostop, self venting nozzle that stops the flow of fuel when the target tank reaches full.

2.

A single opening for filling & pouring. No separate vents or openings.

3.

A treated can body for very low permeation.

4.

Automatic closure. Nozzle automatically springs to the closed position when not pouring.

The requirements establish controls on portable fuel containers (primarily gas cans) that will significantly reduce emissions of benzene and other hazardous air pollutants (‘‘mobile source air toxics’’). Benzene is a known human carcinogen, and mobile sources are responsible for the majority of benzene emissions. The other mobile source air toxics are known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects.

Effective 01/01/09, all gas cans manufactured for sale in the U.S. must comply with CARB and EPA national regulations. However, retailers may still legally sell through their existing inventory of product manufactured prior to the cut-off date.

[cleanhoods 43]

Here is a video also explaining the issue with the fuel containers that gives issues. From what i am getting it is the consumer cans that give problems. http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/04/21736375-warning-scientists-say-gas-cans-carry-risk-of-explosion?lite

 

Marko

[cleanhoods 43]

200

Years Flame arresters were invented 200 years ago and are used today on water heaters, charcoal lighter fluid and even Bacardi 151 rum. Flame arresters have also been used in metal gas cans for 100 years and have effectively prevented explosions.

Source: Portable Gasoline Container Explosions and Their Prevention, Society of Forensic Engineers and Scientists

95%

19,000,000 Plastic gas cans represent 95 percent of all gas cans sold in America, or an estimated 19 million per year. Blitz USA, the manufacturer accounting for 75 percent of all U.S. sales, does not include a flame arrester in its plastic gas cans.

Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission 2003 Memo (download) and Various Industry Sources 1926.

155(l) Workplace standard 1926.155(l) on fire protection and prevention require that gas cans have flame arresters. Yet gas cans sold to American consumers are not required to meet the same standards.

Source: Safety and Health Regulations for Construction, Occupational Safety and Health Care Administration

[cleanhoods 43]

Plastic Cans Lack Flame Arresters

Gas cans made of metal like this one include a flame arrester and other safety features.

Children Are Victims in 40 Percent of Documented Explosion Cases

Three-year-old Landon Beadore was mom’s official little helper, according to his dad, Paul. One of his duties was to pick up toys before his mom mowed the yard. “He was putting his sister’s bike in the cellar when he accidentally tips over the gas can,” recalls his dad. “Vapors from the gas can went along the cellar floor. There was an ignition and the fire occurred.” Landon was burned over 47 percent of his body. “I couldn't move. I couldn’t move,” he later told his dad. His shoes and feet had melted into the floor.

Experts and lawyers in Landon’s case and dozens more involving 75 reported burn victims – nearly 40 percent of them children – believe that a small part called a flame arrester, costing less than $1, could have prevented these horrific injuries. Even more disturbing, they say, is that despite ample evidence that these plastic containers are more prone to explosions, manufacturers and the government watchdog Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) haven’t acted to install arresters or warned consumers of the defect. Ironically, flame arresters are required by the Occupational Safety and Health Care Administration (OSHA) in workplace gas cans.

As far back as 1973, Consumer Reports magazine wrote: “Should fumes outside the gas can ignite as you pour or fill, a flashback fire is possible that could ignite the contents of the can itself. Such accidents can be prevented by a flame arrester, which we think should be legally required in all openings like these.”

Industry Cites “Consumer Misuse” as Cause of Accidents

David Jones, counsel for Blitz USA, America’s largest manufacturer of plastic gas cans, said on a 2008 episode of Dan Rather Reports: “All of these accidents can be avoided if the consumers heed the warnings, if they use common sense with respect to gasoline.” This echoes the sentiment of many in the gas can manufacturing industry and others who place 100 percent of the blame for these explosions on careless consumers. “The Three Stooges or Yosemite Sam might use a lighted match to check the level in a container of gasoline and miraculously survive the combustion,” scolded The Southeast Texas Record in a recent editorial, “but people who try a stunt like that in real life are just plain ignorant and have no one but themselves to blame.”

Rob Jacoby disagrees. He was walking with a Blitz gas can on a crisp Oregon day when a static electric discharge from his body caused the can to detonate. Or Chad Funchess, who was filling up his chain saw when his Blitz gas can erupted and engulfed him in an inferno. Or William Melvin, a member of a Porsche racing team pit crew who certainly knows a thing or two about flammable liquids. He was refueling his lawnmower when his Blitz gas can exploded and threw him though his barn.

“It would cost less than a dollar to manufacture this [flame arrester]. What mother would not want to spend an extra $10, $15 ... whatever number of dollars to protect her children from a possible catastrophe around the house?” — Arthur Stevens, a flammable fluids expert and advisor to the National Fire Protection Association

Look for Metal Safety Cans, and Handle Gasoline with Care

Follow a two-part strategy to prevent gasoline can fires or explosions. First, seriously consider buying a gas can with a flame arrester. Often called "safety cans," these containers are normally made of metal rather than plastic. Many feature a spring-loaded cap that closes automatically. Major manufacturers of safety cans include Eagle and Justrite, and prices range from $35 to $75 depending on the size of the can. No-Spill also makes a plastic gas can with a flame arrester.

Second, never forget how dangerous it is to use or store gasoline. Review these safety tips:

Around children ...

• Keep gasoline out of sight and secured away from children.
• Never let children handle gasoline.
• Download this tip sheet for parents from the National Gasoline Safety Project.

Around the home ...

• Store gasoline outside the home (e.g., in a garage or tool shed) in a safety can as described above – never in glass or non-reusable plastic containers (e.g., milk jugs).
• Don’t use or store gasoline near possible ignition sources (e.g., electrical devices, oil- or gas-fired appliances, or any other device that contains a pilot flame or a spark).
• Never use gasoline inside the home or as a cleaning agent.

Around the yard and outdoors ...

• Don’t use gas to start or accelerate a charcoal grill, wood stove, brush or camp fire or any other fire source.
• Let machinery cool before refueling.
• Clean up spills promptly and discard cleanup materials properly.
• Never use gasoline in place of kerosene.
• Don’t smoke when handling gasoline.

On the road ...

• Don’t get in and out of your vehicle when fueling, as an electrical charge on your body could spark a fire.
• Place the gas can on the ground before filling, not inside a vehicle or in the bed of a pick-up truck.

And if a gas can fire starts ...

• Do not attempt to extinguish the fire or stop the flow of gasoline. Leave the area immediately, and call for help.

For more detailed information, visit the National Fire Protection Association gasoline fire page.

- See more at: http://letamericaknow.com/view_feature_ysk.php?memberid=21427&orderid=419&issueid=1208#sthash.YBkIfK1M.dpuf