Aerosol spray dispenser

2025-10-03T11:34:00Z

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{{Short description|Dispensing system of an aerosol mist}}
{{for|the high-temperature explosive weapon also known as an aerosol bomb|Thermobaric weapon}}
'''Aerosol spray''' is a type of dispensing system which creates an [[aerosol]] mist of liquid particles. It comprises a can or bottle that contains a payload, and a propellant under pressure. When the container's valve is opened, the payload is forced out of a small opening and emerges as an aerosol or mist.

[[Image:Aerosol.png|thumb|right|300px|Aerosol spray can]]

==History==
[[Image:Aerosol 1943.jpg|thumb|The aerosol spray canister invented by [[United States Department of Agriculture|USDA]] researchers, [[Lyle Goodhue]] and William Sullivan]]
There is a high chance that the concepts of aerosol go as far back as 1790.<ref name="Bellis">Bellis, Mary
[https://archive.today/20120526093628/http://inventors.about.com/od/astartinventions/a/aerosol.htm The History of Aerosol Spray Cans]</ref> The first aerosol spray can patent was granted in [[Oslo]] in 1927 to [[Erik Rotheim]], a Norwegian chemical engineer,<ref name= Bellis/><ref name="ReferenceA">Norwegian Patent No. 46613, issued on November 23, 1926</ref> and a United States patent was granted for the invention in 1931.<ref name="ReferenceB">{{US patent|1800156}} — Method and Means for the Atomizing or Distribution of Liquid or Semiliquid Materials, issued April 7, 1931</ref> The patent rights were sold to a United States company for 100,000 [[Norwegian krone]]r.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aftenposten.no/viten/article492297.ece |title=Sprayboksens far er norsk |last=Kvilesjø |first=Svend Ole |date=17 February 2003 |work=Aftenposten |language=no |access-date=6 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080630015251/http://www.aftenposten.no/viten/article492297.ece |archive-date=30 June 2008 }}{{Verse translation|lang=no|Sprayboksens far er norsk;Erik Rotheim fant opp aerosolflasken, sprayboksen, på 1920-tallet. I 1927 tok han patent på oppfinnelsen. [...] og patentet ble etterhvert solgt til et amerikansk selskap for 100 000 kroner. |The Father of the Spraybox is Norwegian;Erik Rotheim invented the aerosol bottle, the spray box, in the 1920s. In 1927, he patented the invention. [...] the patent was eventually sold to a US company for NOK 100,000.}}</ref> The Norwegian Postal Service, [[Posten Norge]], celebrated the invention by issuing a stamp in 1998.

In 1939, American Julian S. Kahn received a patent for a disposable spray can,<ref>{{US patent|2170531}} — Appratus for Mixing a Liquid With a Gas, granted August 22, 1939.</ref><ref>Carlisle, Rodney (2004). ''Scientific American Inventions and Discoveries'', p.402. John Wiley & Songs, Inc., New Jersey. {{ISBN|0-471-24410-4}}.</ref> but the product remained largely undeveloped. Kahn's idea was to mix cream and a propellant from two sources to make whipped cream at home—not a true aerosol in that sense. Moreover, in 1949, he disclaimed his first four claims, which were the foundation of his following patent claims.

{{anchor |Aerosol bomb}}It was not until 1941 that the aerosol spray can was first put to effective use by Americans [[Lyle Goodhue]] and William Sullivan of the [[United States Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine]], who are credited as the inventors of the modern spray can.<ref>{{US patent|2331117}}, filed October 3, 1941, and granted October 5, 1943. Patent No. 2,331,117 (Serial No. 413,474) for an aerosol "dispensing apparatus", filed by Lyle D. Goodhue and William N. Sullivan (including dispenser drawing)</ref><ref name=McGrath>{{cite book |editor=Kimberley A. McGrath |editor2=Bridget E. Travers |title=World of Invention "Summary"| url= http://www.bookrags.com/research/aerosol-spray-woi/ |publisher=Thomson Gale |location=Detroit|year= 1999|isbn=0-7876-2759-3 }}</ref> Their design of a refillable spray can, dubbed the '''aerosol bomb''' or '''bug bomb''', is the ancestor of many commercial spray products. It was a hand-sized steel can charged with a liquefied gas under 75 pounds of pressure and a product to be expelled as a mist or a foam.<ref>Article “Aerosol Bomb”, by The Golden Home and High School Encyclopedia, [[Golden Press]], New York, 1961.</ref> A public-service patent was issued on the invention and assigned to the [[Secretary of Agriculture]] for the free use of the people of the United States.<ref>Article "Aerosols and Insects", by W.N. Sullivan, "The Yearbook of Agriculture - Insects", United States Department of Agriculture, 1952</ref> Pressurized by liquefied gas, which gave it propellant qualities, the small, portable can enabled soldiers to defend themselves against [[malaria]]-carrying [[Anopheles|mosquitoes]] by spraying inside [[tent]]s and airplanes in the [[Pacific War|Pacific]] during [[World War II]].<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Core|first1= Jim|first2= Rosalie Marion|last2= Bliss|first3= Alfredo|last3= Flores|date= September 2005|archive-url = https://archive.today/20120715000441/http://ars.usda.gov/is/ar/archive/sep05/vector0905.htm?pf=1 |title = ARS Partners With Defense Department To Protect Troops From Insect Vectors |magazine =Agricultural Research Magazine|volume = 53|number = 9 |url = https://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/2005/sep/vector0905?|url-status=live|archive-date = 15 July 2012}}</ref> Goodhue and Sullivan received the first Erik Rotheim Gold Medal from the Federation of European Aerosol Associations on August 28, 1970, in Oslo, Norway in recognition of their early patents and subsequent pioneering work with aerosol sprays.

In 1948, three companies were granted licenses by the United States government to manufacture aerosol sprays. Two of the three companies, Chase Products Company and Claire Manufacturing, continue to manufacture aerosol sprays. The "crimp-on valve", used to control the spray in low-pressure aerosol sprays was developed in 1949 by [[Bronx]] machine shop proprietor [[Robert Abplanalp|Robert H. Abplanalp]].<ref name=McGrath/><ref>{{US patent|2631814}} — Valve Mechanism for Dispensing Gases and Liquids Under Pressure; application September 28, 1949, issued March 17, 1953</ref>

In 1974, Drs. [[Frank Sherwood Rowland]] and [[Mario J. Molina]] proposed that [[chlorofluorocarbon]]s, used as propellants in aerosol sprays, contributed to the depletion of Earth's [[ozone layer]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = Chloroflurocarbons CFCs History|url = http://www.aerosolproducts.org/environment/chloroflurocarbons-cfc-history/|access-date = 2015-07-20|publisher = Consumer Aerosol Products Council|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150715074957/http://www.aerosolproducts.org/environment/chloroflurocarbons-cfc-history/|archive-date = 2015-07-15|url-status = dead}}</ref> In response to this theory, the [[U.S. Congress]] passed amendments to the [[Clean Air Act (United States)|Clean Air Act]] in 1977 authorizing the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]] to regulate the presence of CFCs in the atmosphere.<ref>Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977 ({{USStat|91|685}}, p. 726)</ref> The [[United Nations Environment Programme]] called for ozone layer research that same year, and, in 1981, authorized a global framework convention on ozone layer protection.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url = http://legal.un.org/avl/pdf/ha/vcpol/vcpol_e.pdf|title = The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer|year = 2009|access-date = 20 July 2015|website = United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law|publisher = United Nations|last = Weiss|first = Edith Brown}}</ref> In 1985, [[Joe Farman]], [[Brian G. Gardiner (meteorologist)|Brian G. Gardiner]], and [[Jon Shanklin]] published the first scientific paper detailing the hole in the ozone layer.<ref>{{Cite web|title = History of the Ozone Hole|url = http://ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov/facts/history_SH.html|website = NASA Ozone Hole Watch|access-date = 2015-07-20|publisher = NASA|date = 23 September 2013|last = Nash|first = Eric R.}}</ref> That same year, the [[Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer|Vienna Convention]] was signed in response to the UN's authorization. Two years later, the [[Montreal Protocol]], which regulated the production of CFCs was formally signed. It came into effect in 1989.<ref name=":0" /> The U.S. formally phased out CFCs in 1995.<ref>{{Cite web|title = The Accelerated Phaseout of Class I Ozone-Depleting Substances|url = http://www.epa.gov/ozone/title6/phaseout/accfact.html|archive-url = https://archive.today/20160118092451/http://www.epa.gov/ozone/title6/phaseout/accfact.html|url-status = dead|archive-date = January 18, 2016|access-date = 2015-07-20|publisher = United States Environmental Protection Agency|date = 19 August 2010}}</ref>

==Aerosol propellants==
{{See also|Propellant#Compressed fluid propellants}}
If aerosol cans were simply filled with [[compressed gas]], it would either need to be at a dangerously high pressure and require special [[pressure vessel]] design (like in [[gas cylinder]]s), or the amount of payload in the can would be small, and rapidly deplete.
Usually, the gas is the [[vapor]] of a liquid with [[boiling point]] slightly lower than [[room temperature]]. This means that inside the pressurized can, the vapor can exist in [[thermodynamic equilibrium|equilibrium]] with its bulk liquid at a pressure that is higher than [[atmospheric pressure]] (and able to expel the payload), but not dangerously high. As gas escapes, it is immediately replaced by evaporating liquid. Since the propellant exists in liquid form in the can, it should be [[miscible]] with the payload or dissolved in the payload. In [[gas duster]]s and [[freeze spray]]s, the payload itself acts as the propellant. The propellant in a gas duster can is not "compressed air" as sometimes assumed, but usually a [[haloalkane]].

[[Chlorofluorocarbon]]s (CFCs) were once often used as propellants,<ref>{{cite magazine
| author =
| title = Fires Halted Quickly by "Lazy" Freon Gas
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=zt4DAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Freon%22&pg=PA115
| magazine = [[Popular Mechanics]]
| quote = Freon chemical compounds in household refrigerators, air-cooling systems and as '''a [[DDT]] carrier in aerosol [[Fogger#Fogger composition|insect bombs]]''' have been found to be more effective in extinguishing fires than carbon dioxide.
| volume = 87
| page = 115
| publisher = [[Hearst Communications|Hearst Magazines]]
| date = April 1947
| access-date= June 7, 2019
}}</ref> but since the [[Montreal Protocol]] came into force in 1989, they have been replaced in nearly every country due to the negative effects CFCs have on Earth's [[ozone layer]]. The most common replacements of CFCs are mixtures of volatile [[hydrocarbon]]s, typically [[propane]], n-[[butane]] and [[isobutane]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Yeoman|first1=Amber M.|last2=Lewis|first2=Alastair C. |date= 2021-04-22 |title=Global emissions of VOCs from compressed aerosol products|url=https://online.ucpress.edu/elementa/article/9/1/00177/116770/Global-emissions-of-VOCs-from-compressed-aerosol |journal= Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene|language=en|volume=9|issue=1|pages=00177|doi=10.1525/elementa.2020.20.00177|issn=2325-1026|doi-access=free|bibcode=2021EleSA...9..177Y }}</ref> [[Dimethyl ether]] (DME) and [[methyl ethyl ether]] are also used. All these have the disadvantage of being [[flammable]]. [[Nitrous oxide]] and [[carbon dioxide]] are also used as propellants to deliver foodstuffs (for example, [[whipped cream]] and [[cooking spray]]). Medicinal aerosols such as [[asthma inhaler]]s use [[hydrofluoroalkanes]] (HFA): either [[HFA 134a]] (1,1,1,2,-tetrafluoroethane) or [[HFA 227]] (1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane) or combinations of the two. More recently, liquid [[hydrofluoroolefin]] (HFO) propellants have become more widely adopted in aerosol systems due to their relatively low vapor pressure, low [[global warming potential]] (GWP), and nonflammability.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://prod-edam.honeywell.com/content/dam/honeywell-edam/pmt/oneam/en-us/medical-propellant1/documents/pmt-am-solstice-propellant-DataSheet.pdf|title=Solstice® Propellant Technical Bulletin|website=Honeywell|date = 2017}}</ref>

Liquid aerosol propellant filling machines require additional precautions, such as being mounted externally to the production warehouse in a gas house. Liquid aerosol propellant machines are typically constructed to comply with ATEX Zone II/2G regulations (classification Zone 1).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ranr.co.uk/aerosol-machines/production-machines/propelant-pressurisation-machine/|title=Aerosol Propellant / Pressurisation Filling Machine - R + R Aerosol Systems Ltd|website=R + R Midlands Ltd|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-02-19}}</ref>

==Packaging==
[[Image:Aerosol tops 6.svg|thumb|223px|A typical paint valve system will have a "[[Gender of connectors and fasteners|female]]" valve, the stem being part of the top actuator. The valve can be preassembled with the valve cup and installed on the can as one piece, prior to pressure-filling. The actuator is added later.]]
Modern aerosol spray products have three major parts: the can, the valve and the actuator or button. The can is most commonly lacquered [[tinplate]] (steel with a layer of tin) and may be made of two or three pieces of metal [[crimp (joining)|crimped]] together. [[Aluminium can]]s are also common and are generally used for products that are more expensive or intended to have a more premium appearance, such as personal care products. The valve is crimped to the inside rim of the can, and the design of this component is important in determining the spray rate. The actuator is depressed by the user to open the valve; a spring closes the valve again when it is released. The shape and size of the nozzle in the actuator controls the aerosolized particle size and the spread of the aerosol spray.<ref>{{cite patent
| number = US5941462A
| title =Variable spray nozzle for product sprayer
| pubdate =1999
| inventor =Sandor
| url =https://patents.google.com/patent/US5941462A/en
}}</ref>

==Non-propellant packaging alternatives==
{{Main|Spray bottle|Squeeze bottle}}
True aerosol sprays release their propellant during use.<ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref name="ReferenceB"/> Some non-propellant alternatives include various spray bottles, squeeze bottles, and Bag on Valve (BoV) or Bag in Can (BiC) compressed gas aerosol systems.

Packaging that uses a piston barrier system by [[CCL Industries]] or EarthSafe by [[Crown Holdings]] is often selected for highly [[viscous]] products such as post-foaming [[hair gel]]s, thick [[cream (pharmaceutical)|creams]] and [[lotion]]s, [[spread (food)|food spreads]] and industrial products and [[sealant]]s. The main benefit of this system is that it eliminates gas permeation and assures separation of the product from the propellant, maintaining the purity and integrity of the formulation throughout its consumer lifespan. The piston barrier system also provides a consistent flow rate with minimal product retention.

Another type of dispensing system is the bag-in-can (or BOV, bag-on-valve technology) system where the product is separated from the pressurizing agent with a hermetically sealed, multi-layered laminated pouch, which maintains complete formulation integrity so only pure product is dispensed.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/images/aerosol400.png|title = image: aerosol and bov pressurized containers, illustration|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160810082411/http://www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/images/aerosol400.png|archive-date = 10 August 2016|access-date = 13 July 2017|url-status = dead}}</ref> Among its many benefits, the bag-in-can system extends a product's shelf life, is suitable for all-attitude, (360-degree) dispensing, quiet and non-chilling discharge. One key performance difference relative to true aerosol systems is that traditional BoV dispensing pressures, BoVs pressurized solely by pressurized gas) drops as the product is dispensed. This bag-in-can system is used in the packaging of pharmaceutical, industrial, household, pet care and other products that require complete separation between the product and the propellant or require near complete evacuation of thin to viscous formulations.

A later development is the 2K (two component) aerosol spray, with a main component stored in a main chamber, and a second component stored in an accessory container. When an applicator activates the 2K aerosol by breaking the accessory container, the two components mix. The 2K aerosol can is advantageous for delivery of reactive mixtures; for example, a 2K reactive mixture can use low [[molecular weight]] [[monomer]], [[oligomer]], and [[Functional group|functionalized]] low molecular [[polymer]] to make a final [[cross-linked]] high molecular weight polymer. A 2K aerosol can increase solid contents and deliver high-performance polymer products, such as [[curing (chemistry)|curable]] [[paint]]s, [[foam]]s, and [[adhesive]]s.

==Safety concerns==
[[Image:canned-air.jpg|thumb|[[Canned air]] / dusters do '''''not''''' contain oxygen, and are dangerous, even deadly, to inhale.<ref name=Snopes/>]]
Aerosol cans have three main areas of health concern:
* Contents may be deliberately [[inhalant|inhaled]] to achieve [[Substance intoxication|intoxication]] from the propellant (known as [[inhalant abuse]] or "huffing"). Calling them "canned air" or "cans of compressed air" could mislead the ignorant to think they are harmless; in fact, such misuse has caused deaths.<ref name=Snopes>{{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/dustoff.asp |title=Dust Off Death |publisher=snopes.com |access-date=|first= Barbara|last = Mikkelson|date = 30 May 2005}}</ref>
* [[Aerosol burn]] injuries can be caused by the spraying of aerosol directly onto the skin, in a practice sometimes called "frosting".<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2007-07-10/deodorant-burns-on-the-increase/94912| title=Deodorant burns on the increase| date=10 July 2007|publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Company|ABC News]]}}</ref>
*The propellants in aerosol cans are typically combinations of ignitable gases and have been known to cause fires and explosions.<ref name=uvm>{{cite web|title=Paint & Aerosol Safety|url=http://www.uvm.edu/safety/art/paint-aerosol-safety|website=uvm.edu|publisher=The University of Vermont|access-date=20 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811091457/http://www.uvm.edu/safety/art/paint-aerosol-safety|archive-date=11 August 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, non-flammable compressed gases such as nitrogen and nitrous oxide have been widely adopted into a number of aerosol systems such as air fresheners and aerosolized whipped cream, as have non-flammable liquid propellants.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fluorineproducts-honeywell.com/solstice-propellants/product-info/|title=Solstice Propellant for Aerosols|website=Honeywell Aerosols|access-date=11 March 2019|archive-date=14 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814113543/https://www.fluorineproducts-honeywell.com/solstice-propellants/product-info/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*In later 2021 and through 2022, a large number of consumer aerosols were recalled due to the presence of [[benzene]] in their finished products.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Genovese |first=Daniella |date=December 20, 2021 |title=P&G recalls over 30 aerosol spray products due to benzene |url=https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/procter-gamble-recalls-dry-shampoo-conditioner-benzene |website=Fox Business}}</ref> Where the recall was far reaching, Benzene is considered a trace contaminant in some but not all hydrocarbon propellants. Though rigorous testing at both the propellant manufacturer and the aerosol filling site, unsuitable aerosol propellants can be detected and destroyed prior to use in any finished products.

In the United States, non-empty aerosol cans are considered [[hazardous waste]],<ref name="uvm" /> but are still considered "recyclable when empty" in US curbside recycling programs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://earth911.com/recycling-guide/how-to-recycle-aerosol-cans/|title=How to Recycle Aerosol Cans|website=Earth911}}</ref>

Aerosol products in the European Union must comply with health and safety regulations as set out in Directive 75/324/EEC.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A31975L0324 |title=Council Directive 75/324/EEC of 20 May 1975 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to aerosol dispensers |publisher=European Commission}}</ref> which established the "'''reversed epsilon'''" mark.{{efn|{{unichar|025C}}}} This marking is required for aerosol products over 50ml.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://echa.europa.eu/legislation-profile/-/legislationprofile/EU-AEROSOL_DISPENSERS|title=Aerosol Dispensers Directive|access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref> The same marking is also used in the United Kingdom, although the [[UKCA marking]] is planned to replace it in [[Great Britain]].<ref>{{cite web | title=CE marking guidance| website=UK Government| date=1 August 2023| url=https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ce-marking}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Aerosol paint]]
* [[Fabrican]]
* [[Graffiti]]
* [[Silly String]]
* [[Spray nozzle]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.aerosolproducts.org/ Consumer Aerosol Products Council]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100203224309/http://www.patent-invent.com/aerosol_can_patent.html Aerosol Spray Can Old Patents and Inventions]

{{Packaging}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Aerosol sprays| ]]
[[Category:Norwegian inventions]]
[[Category:Products introduced in 1927]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Packaging]]

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Aerosol spray dispenser