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Aiden Byrne

Mrs. Steven & Mrs. Radcliffe

Life Science

3 January 2017

Which Air Freshener Is The Most Flammable?

Air fresheners are one of the most interesting devices that we use today; the way

companies make air freshener by mixing alcohol and chemicals is really unique. Then again air

fresheners can be quite dangerous too because of the chemicals and alcohol used in them. That's

why this subject is most important to the consumer. There are many instances wherein just

having a light or lamp near the spray may ignite it. The subject of this experiment will be testing

several brands of air fresheners, for example, Febreze and Lysol, to see if they are flammable. If

fire is applied to each brand of air freshener they will all be flammable , but Febreze will be the

most highly flammable.

What Is Flammability? What Causes Air Fresheners To Be Flammable?

Flammability is just how easily a substance can burn; papers, books, wood, and cloth are

all flammable items. Flammability can also be ranked into AB categorization by how flammable

the object or substance is. A1 is classified as noncombustible or not flammable; B1 is classified

as difficult to ignite; B3 is classified as easily combustible (Administrator). There is also a term

that relates to flammability and temperature called flash point. Gasoline, diesel fuel, and jet fuel

for example, have a flash point of approximately 38 (Flash).

How Are The Ingredients Of Each Brand Of Air Fresheners Different?

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Air fresheners are mostly made of alcohol but also have different chemicals in their

canister. Air fresheners in 12 out of 14 of households have a dangerous chemical like phthalate

and 1,4 dichlorobenzene (Chad). Febreze, a very popular product, uses chemicals that are mostly

non hazardous, but there are two chemicals they use that are dangerous to animals and humans.

BHT is a chemical which is in Febreze that is a neurotoxin which can have the effect of

endocrine disruption, non-reproductive organ system toxicity, and immunotoxicity. The other

dangerous chemical is called acetaldehyde which causes the same effects but is also known to

cause cancer (Danger). Lysol, another popular product, mostly uses chemicals that are alcohol

based, like alkyl, dimethyl, benzyl, ammonium saccharinate and ethanol/SD alcohol (Active).

What Chemicals Are In Air Fresheners That Make Them Flammable?

Ingredients in air fresheners are mainly chemicals and are mostly alcohol based, which

make them flammable. Ethyl or ethyl alcohol is a common chemical that is used in air fresheners

and is an additive for automotive gasoline. Ethyl alcohols flash point of ignition is 78.5 celsius

(Britannica). Another chemical alcohol is Isopropyl which is used in air fresheners, rubbing

alcohol, hand sanitizers, and disinfecting pads. Isopropyls flash point of ignition is 23 or 38

celsius (Isopropyl). The other thing that makes air freshener even more flammable is an

excessive amount of alcohol like the two other chemicals (Interview).

What Is Surface Area? How does The Surface Area Of The Fuel

Affect The Size Of The Flames?

Air fresheners have many different canister sizes and the size of the canister will affect

the size of potential flames. To study this it first must be understood what is surface area. Surface

area is the sum of all the sides of a three dimensional figure. An easy way of finding surface area
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is unfolding the figure and flattening it out. Then it is needed to determine if the canister is a

prism or a non-prism. This can be determined by if it can be added to all sides (Surface). How

the fuel affects the size of the spray is how much is in it and how far it goes from point A.

What Safety Precautions Should Be Taken When Burning Air Fresheners?

If people are burning something or air fresheners they want to take precaution to be ok if

something that is flammable doesn't burn. The first thing you want to make sure is that you don't

want any flammable objects near the house. Then you don't want any flammable objects near

your experiment. Always have a fire extinguished if something does catch on fire you want to

have it. Don't burn something where gas can be produced and be dangerous for you and the

people around you. If there is a fire in your house you should leave immediately and call 911 to

be safe (Phil).

What Is The Most Accurate Way To Measure Flammability Of A Substance?

Accuracy is a priority to make sure the experiment goes well and nobody gets hurt, but if

you want to measure how flammable a substance is.. First you need to understand fire; fire can

burn slowly and even while others are fierce, fast, and hot. The fire behavior is depending is

where the fire is situated and where the fire is. Fuel differ in catching fire with its temperature

like a flashpoint. If the fuel catches fire relates to the surface area or the size of the fuel. The

bigger the canister the more oxygen it has to make a explosion, like a canister of gas makes a

huge explosion while a tank of gas makes a bigger explosion (Testing).

If fire is applied to each brand of air freshener, they will all be flammable, but Febreze

will be the most flammable. This sentence was the basis of my experiment and paragraphs, now it

is time to conclude these paragraphs. The paragraphs prove that popular air fresheners such as
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Febreeze and Lysol have deadly chemicals. Air fresheners have more alcohol chemicals than

regular chemicals and how surface area affects size of the air freshener. The fact is that air

fresheners are dangerous to use when there is a hot flame source or you are digesting it. But the

other fact is that people will still use air freshener.

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Work Cited

Administrator. "What Is Flammability?" What Is Flammability? N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Jan. 2017.

<http://www.schevaran.com/index.php?option=com_content&id=756%3Awhat-is-flammability&cati

d=86%3Afaqs>.

"Flammability Testing of Materials." Flammability Testing of Materials. Intertek, n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.

<http://www.intertek.com/analysis/flammability/>.

"Flash Point." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 03 Jan. 2017.

<https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flash%20point>.

"Isopropyl Alcohol." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

11 Apr. 2016. Web. 04 Jan. 2017. <https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0359.html>.

Madelin, Phil. "Fire Safety 1: Understanding Fire, Fire Precautions and Prevention - PCS."Fire Safety 1:

Understanding Fire, Fire Precautions and Prevention - PCS. Public and Commercial Services Union,

n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.

<http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/resources/health_and_safety/hazardsatoz/fire-safety-1.cfm>.

"The Dangers of Febreze." Sustainable Baby Steps. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Jan. 2017.

<http://www.sustainablebabysteps.com/febreze.html>.

The Editors of Encyclopdia Britannica. "Ethyl Alcohol." Encyclopdia Britannica. Encyclopdia

Britannica, Inc., 14 May 2015. Web. 04 Jan. 2017.

<https://www.britannica.com/science/ethyl-alcohol>.

Wetzel, Chad. "Breaking News." Air Fresheners - Toxipedia. Ed. Steven Gilbert. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Jan. 2017.

<http://www.toxipedia.org/display/toxipedia/Air+Fresheners>.

"What Air Freshener Is the Most Flammable." Online interview. 28 Nov. 2016.

"What Is the Active Ingredient in Lysol?" Reference. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Jan. 2017.

<https://www.reference.com/home-garden/active-ingredient-lysol-5ca96833395c8ab8>.
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"What Is Surface Area? - Definition & Formulas - Video & Lesson Transcript." Study.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 04

Jan. 2017. <http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-surface-area-definition-formulas-quiz.html>.