WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Why Shouldn't Compressed Air Canisters Be Shaken?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, I'm Lauren boge Bomb, and today's episode is

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<v Speaker 1>another classic from our archives. This one is a bit

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<v Speaker 1>of practical everyday science. Lots of spray canisters carry instructions

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<v Speaker 1>to shake before use, but not compressed air canisters, and

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<v Speaker 1>it's actually dangerous to do. So I'll let former Lauren

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<v Speaker 1>explain why. Hi brain Stuff, Lauren bulge Bomb here. Whether

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<v Speaker 1>it's dry shampoo or paint, or accustomed to shaking aerosol

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<v Speaker 1>canisters before we spray them, so it's only natural that

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<v Speaker 1>when we pick up a canister of compressed air to

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<v Speaker 1>clean a keyboard, we also want to shake the can

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<v Speaker 1>even if it's label clearly says do not shake. But

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<v Speaker 1>is this force of habit potentially harmful? In a word, yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>Compressed air canisters are not really canned air. Rather, these

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<v Speaker 1>canisters contain a compressed liquefied gas that propels its own

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<v Speaker 1>vapors through a nozzle. Most of the time, the liquefied

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<v Speaker 1>gas is one of two types. One is di fluoro

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<v Speaker 1>ethane or HFC one two A, which is found in

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<v Speaker 1>canisters marketed for computers and electronic equipment, and incidentally, is

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<v Speaker 1>also known as free on, that same gas that helps

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<v Speaker 1>make refrigerators and car air conditioners cool. The other type

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<v Speaker 1>of gas is tetrafluoro ethane or HFC one thirty four A,

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<v Speaker 1>which is recommended for use when flammability might be an issue,

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<v Speaker 1>such as with hot surfaces or spark producing equipment. However,

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<v Speaker 1>some types of can there may also contain butane, the

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<v Speaker 1>same liquefied gas found in cigarette lighters. According to three M,

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<v Speaker 1>which manufactures and cells compressed air canisters for dust removal,

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<v Speaker 1>shaking or tilting the can may result in propelled liquid

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<v Speaker 1>instead of vapor. If this happens, the liquid may come

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<v Speaker 1>into contact with skinner eyes and cause frost bite because

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<v Speaker 1>the chemical will freeze your skin at room temperature. If

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<v Speaker 1>this happens, medical attention may be warranted. But first three

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<v Speaker 1>M recommends washing affected areas of skinless soap and water,

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<v Speaker 1>or flushing eyes with copious amounts of water. But what

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<v Speaker 1>about all those other airsol canisters that do recommend shaking

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<v Speaker 1>before use. Unlike the liquefied gas and canned air that

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<v Speaker 1>propels itself out through the nozzle, everything from dry shampoo

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<v Speaker 1>to spray paint requires a little mixing, the product inside

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<v Speaker 1>the can separates into layers and must be shaken to

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<v Speaker 1>mix with the propellant before use, otherwise only the propellant

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<v Speaker 1>would come out. Today's episode is based on the article

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<v Speaker 1>why compressed air canisters shouldn't be shaken on how stuff

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<v Speaker 1>works dot com, written by laure L da. Brain Stuff

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<v Speaker 1>is production of I Heart Radio in partnership with how

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<v Speaker 1>stuff works dot Com, and it's produced by Tyler Clang.

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