OT: Don't try this at home folks

GB · 2019-12-16T14:32:14+00:00

It takes a peculiar type of luck to do this and survive unhurt. driver caused an explosion in his car when he lit a cigarette after spraying air freshener.He used "excessive" amounts of the aerosol scent before sparking up, according to firefighters.Gas from the spray ignited, blew out the windscreen and windows and buckled the doors but the man escaped with only minor injuries.Police said the incident in Halifax on Saturday "could've been worse" and warned people to follow safety advice.The motorist was in stationary traffic in Fountain Street in the town at about 15:00 GMT on Saturday when the explosion happened.It was so powerful it caused damage to windows at nearby businesses.More stories from YorkshireThe road was closed while an investigation was carried out by police and the fire service.West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the cause of the "dramatic" incident was "excessive" air freshener use.

Dec 16, 2019 Last reply: 6 years ago 24 Replies

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The Natural Philosopher 6 years ago

I stuck my nose into a tank of fermenting wort and filled my lungs with pure CO2.

I stopped breathing in that too.

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stephenten 6 years ago

The propellants in aerosol cans used to be CFC's (Chloro-Fluorocarbons) until the Montreal Protocol phased them out in 1987 due to the effects on teh earth's ozone layer.

This also affected fire extinguishing systems for computer server rooms so now Montreal Protocol compliant HCFC's are now used (see

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) So these CFC's and HCFCs are clearly not flammable.

Coming back to aerosol cans, the previously not flammable propellant were replaced with butane or propane, both of which *are* flammable......

So the Montreal protocol has clearly led to unintended consequences and nominations for the Darwin awards (see

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)

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tabbypurr 6 years ago

2-8% of a nontoxic gas is normally harmless. It takes far higher concentration of a gas to drop the O2 to a hazardous level. You're not going to get oxygen depriving levels in a car unless the can burst.

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newshound 6 years ago

Correct. The nasty thing about hydrogen is that its "explosive mixture" range is very wide. Fortunately its density makes it hard to contain in "ordinary" buildings.

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