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Aerosol Spray

Aerosol spray represents an inexpensive and convenient way to dispense a variety of liquids, including deodorants, insecticides, and paints. A dispensing system that creates an aerosol mist of liquid particles, aerosol spray uses a can or bottle that contains a liquid under pressure. Common in the United States since the 1940s, aerosol sprays use propellants to assist with the process of driving the payload out of the container. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were commonly used as propellants in aerosol sprays, but during the 1980s CFCs were found to have negative effects on the Earth's ozone layer. As a result, in 1989, the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer (Montreal Protocol) sought to phase out the use of CFCs and has been largely successful in doing so. Replacements for CFCs have been found, although these are often flammable. This, along with the sometimes nonbiodegradable nature of aerosol spray packaging, has led to concerns about the waste these products generate.

History

Aerosol sprays were conceptualized as early as the late 18th century, although it took almost 150 years for the concept to be realized. Atomizers were used throughout the 19th century to dispense paint, perfume, and other liquids using a hand-operated pump rather than stored gas. In 1926, a Norwegian chemist, Erik Rotheim, invented the first aerosol spray can. Rotheim's invention forced liquid contained in a canister out of a small hole, emerging as an aerosol or mist when the container's valve was opened. Rotheim sold his patent to a U.S. company for 100,000 Norwegian kroner, but it was not until 1939, when Julian S. Kahn received a patent for a disposable spray can, that aerosol sprays became commercially viable.

During World War II, the U.S. government sought a convenient means to combat the malaria-carrying mosquitoes besieging troops in the Pacific. Lyle Goodhue and William Sullivan, working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), designed a refillable spray can, dubbed the “bug bomb,” which was patented in 1943. Goodhue and Sullivan's small, portable can used liquefied gas to provide it with propellant qualities, permitting soldiers to spray the inside of tents with aerosol pesticide. After the conclusion of World War II, the USDA granted licenses to three companies to manufacture aerosols for commercial use, including Chase Products Company and Claire Manufacturing, which continue to manufacture aerosols to this day. Robert Abplanalp, owner of the New York–based Precision Valve Corporation, invented the crimp-on valve in 1949; this controlled the aerosol spray, further expediting the commercial viability of aerosol sprays.

Packaging and Propellants

Aerosol sprays proved immensely popular with consumers as a means of dispensing liquids. The liquid to be dispensed is stored in a can or bottle that contains a gas under pressure. When the consumer opens the valve, the liquid is forced out through a small hole, emerging as an aerosol mist. The gas expands inside the container as it drives the liquid out, thereby maintaining an even pressure. Once outside the container, droplets of propellant evaporate rapidly, leaving the payload suspended as very fine droplets or particles.

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