Illegal Fire Extinguishers Taken Off Shelves in L.A.
Investigation of a complaint of the sale of illegal portable fire extinguishers by a Los Angeles hardware store found that not only was the complaint correct, but the extinguisher contained a toxic material and was strikingly similar to a pressurized can of hand cleaner marketed by the same manufacturer.
Fire Inspector Thomas Laski of the Los Angeles City Fire Department re ported that the extinguisher was in violation of the California Administrative code, title 19, section 13162B, which requires extinguishers to be approved by Underwriters’ Laboratories.
The store’s entire supply of 15 ounce aerosol Kool-it extinguishers was quickly impounded by the fire department. Subsequent laboratory analysis determined the main extinguishing agent to be 1-1-1 trichloroethane with carbon dioxide as the pressurizing agent. Further research uncovered the fact that another use for the colorless liquid was a pesticide. A caution label on the can warned of “avoiding prolonged contact with the skin or eyes.” In other words, it is a toxic material. The indication to the wary buyer was that he could be spending $1.79 on a so-called fire extinguisher capable of causing bodily harm.
The mini-extinguisher was being marketed by Unival Corporation of Scarsdale, N.Y. Unival also markets a hand cleaner, also called Kool-it, in a similarly marked container same size can, same color label and even the same price. Imagine having a fire in your garage and grabbing a can of aerosol hand cleaner to fight the blaze.
The fire department and the state fire marshal have both informed Unival that all these units must be pulled off California shelves until legal requirements have been met.
