Who invented the first aerosol can

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Learn more and compare subscriptions content expands above. Full Terms and Conditions apply to all Subscriptions. Then why the confusion? Aerosol manufacturers in Europe and other parts of the world initially did not follow the lead of the U. However, American consumers can be confident that aerosols made in the U. Other countries have also changed from ozone-depleting propellants to non-depleting forms because those countries signed the Montreal Protocol.

The Montreal Protocol, of which the U. What about the problem with urban smog, also known as ambient ozone? As urban areas struggle to meet federal air quality standards, regulators are attempting to identify any products that emit volatile organic compounds VOCs which in turn contribute to lower level ozone.

Unlike upper level ozone, which protects us, this lower level or tropospheric ozone is a major component of smog. The smog problem is particularly acute in California and that state has identified a variety of consumer products which emit VOCs as among those sources and are now being regulated. So aerosols do contain VOCs? Yes, but so do fingernail polish, perfume and mouthwash, as well as pump hair sprays, roll-ons, and stick deodorants.

Restrictions on these products are hardly the answer to air pollution. The solution to the smog problem, for example, lies on the freeways and in the power plants…not in the medicine cabinet or the bedroom! What propellants are used in aerosol containers today? Depending on the end use, either liquefied or compresses gases are used to dispense the product from the aerosol container in the most efficient manner.

Neither type is a chlorofluorocarbon. Liquefied propellants, such as isobutene, normal butane or pentane, are natural organic products which do not deplete the ozone layer, taint the soil or pollute the water supply. They do not contribute to global warming. As used in aerosol cans, their contribution to lower level ozone formation is negligible. Nitrogen, as used in contact lens cleaners and nitrous oxide, as used in whipped toppings, are also used as propellants.

If the contribution of aerosols to air pollution is minimal, then why are they suspect? Rather than switching to non-aerosol containers, well-meaning consumers who are concerned about air quality would be far better advised to simply maintain the family car properly! Once again, myth prevails over reality. For example, pump sprays are generally perceived as being environmentally superior. Actually, the ingredients in the pump container which replace the aerosol propellant, contain many more reactive VOCs than the aerosol package.

The patent was filed in September and was issued on March 17, From that invention, the aerosol industry quickly developed in the United States and around the world. Fog, for example, is a normal aerosol. In aerosol packaging, the substance to be sprayed is propelled through a valve as a fine mist or foam. This provides a safe, efficient means of dispensing thousands of consumer products such as shaving cream, hair spray, paint and antiperspirants.

This gave birth to the container used by American troops to fight malaria by killing mosquitoes in the South Pacific during World War II. Refinements to containers, valves, propellants and formulas have broadened the range of aerosol products and widened consumer acceptance. Aerosol-related jobs now employ over 50, Americans.

Since , no aerosols made or sold in the U.