Aerosol Laboratory Safety
The “short-term” high temperature (100°F–130°F) screening of prototype aerosol products
is quite useful for research purposes. I note that this is distinct from the full-term aerosol
stability packs that are used to test final/production-ready aerosol prototypes.…
1) Aerosol cans may explode with significant force and, when tested
at high temperatures (resulting in elevated internal pressures),
can pose a substantial physical danger to laboratory personnel.
Personnel who work in the aerosol laboratory should be made
aware of the potential hazards.
2) Always handle heated aerosol cans with care when removing
them from elevated temperature storage ovens—accidently dropping
a hot aerosol container can provide enough shock to buckle/
burst the hot can.
3) It is preferable to store large quantities of flammable aerosols in
stability test ovens that are located away from personnel areas—a
separate (unoccupied) room/area is preferable.
4) For a large quantity of flammable aerosols, the storage area
containing the ovens should be protected, as well. This includes
gas detection systems with external alarm systems, as well as a
dedicated multi-speed HVAC system.
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5) Never assume that an oven is safe for aerosol storage. Verify the
design specifications and/or call the manufacturer and/or replace
the oven if positive verification is not possible. Keep a record of
this on file.
The oven in my example was used for years without incident and
was assumed to be suitable for flammable aerosol storage and
was in place before I, and my colleagues in the lab, worked for
the company. Moving forward, we immediately added explosionproof
confirmation—and reassessment where appropriate—for
all explosion-proof rated ovens, fume hoods, electrical outlets,
switches and lights located in any area where flammable aerosols
are filled or stored.
Elevated temperature storage ovens are a useful tool in the
aerosol laboratory and play an important part in determining
product/package compatibility. The main points to keep in mind
are that safety training and requirements, as well as equipment
verification and maintenance procedures, are important, especially
when flammable aerosols are being stored. Spray