Recently I was attending a legal seminar , when another lawyer and I were discussing our current product liability cases. I was shocked to hear a defective product that many of you probably have in your home now, a gas can. It seems that most consumer gas cans, the ones you have around your garage that you use for your lawn mower or weed eater, do not contain a flame arrester. This flame arrester is a small piece of wire mesh that fits in the spout/tube of the gas can, that prevents flammable gas vapors from escaping. This device costs only pennies.
I was able to find a special piece done by Dan Rather, former CBS news anchor, now working for HDNET, about a victim of such a defective product. His story revolved around an 8 year old boy who knocked over a gas can in his basement. No gas leaked out of the container , however vapors did. The vapors were ignited by the pilot light of their gas water heater and an explosion occurred. The child was burned over 47% of his body. I have also heard of at least 5 injuries resulting from people pouring gasoline onto an open fire. The trash or leaves were being burned in a 55 gallon drum. All of these involved gas cans without the flame arrestor. I have also witnessed a video of two different cans, one with an arrester and one without. Gas was poured onto an open flame with the can that did not have an arrester and an explosion occurred. Gas was poured onto an open flame with a can that contained an arrester, and no explosion occurred---so they do work!!
According to the Dan Rather piece referenced above, this hazard has been known to the industry at least as early as 1973, when it was discussed in a Consumer reports magazine. The Consumer Product Safety Commission held a meeting to discuss these in May of 2007. At least one major manufacturer, Blitz, held the position that these arresters were potentially dangerous. The document indicates another meeting was to take place but I cannot locate that the meeting ever took place. Blitz has been subjected to several lawsuits over their cans and they have not offered the arrester with their cans. One has to wonder how legitimate their objections to adding these arresters is. Blitz cans are sold at Wal-Marts across the country.
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