Nick Markowitz's Fire & Electrical Safety Section

By Nick Markowitz

An excited call to "911" comes in from someone. Their neighbor's basement is on fire and help is needed immediately. Fire fighters arrive within five minutes only to find that an elderly man has died in a workshop fire--but the cause of death was not smoke inhalation. Instead, it was his very own fire extinguisher that killed him.

According to fire investigators and the coroner, the victim had evidently owned the fire extinguisher he used in the fire for years. It had escapted fire fighter's previous inspections because he had kept it out of sight in his basement workshop. It was the heated vapors from the extinguishing fluid within the extinguisher that killed him.

At one time, during and after World War II, most fire extinguishers contained Carbon Tetrachloride, an excellent fire stopper. This same chemical was also at one time used in commercial dry- cleaning establishments and within refrigeration units. Since then, however, Carbon Tetrachloride has been found to be an extremely dangerous chemical that, if inhaled or absorbed through the skin in high enough levels, can be fatal. To make things even worse, when this chemical is exposed to heat, the toxicity level inherently increases to produce phosgene, a dangerous corrosive ga--also known as "nerve gas."

These extinguishers were recalled in the late 1950s when scientists discovered just how dangerous Carbon Tetrachloride can be. However, after nearly 50 years, there are still plenty of these old fire extinguishers in service within older homes and businesses, ever ready to fight fires and potentially kill their owners. It is not uncommon for fire inspectors to run across this type of fire extinguisher during the normal course of duties. Their owners are immediately advised to remove them from service and have their contents disposed of by hazardous-materials specialists.

Just how can the average person tell if they have one of these potentially-lethal fire extinguishers lurking in their home or business? The following description will help you identify them:

• These extinguishers are usually 12 inches tall by 3 inches in diameter.
• They are generally made of brass and the manufacture's name, such as Pyrene, on a label on the side.
• Most of them also have a T-shaped handle on top, which is used to pump out the chemical.
• The chemical "Carbon Tetrachloride" will usually be clearly listed on the label.

If you discover one of these units in your home or business, use only protective rubber gloves to handle it. Wrap it in plastic and take it to your local fire station were fire fighters will assist you in its safe disposal. If it appears that it is leaking chemical, leave it where you found it and notify your local "911" or emergency center. They will dispatch the appropriate personnel to recover it.

Remember, just because a product has been recalled does not mean that every last one of them are really gone.

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