Take action for gas can safety

If you could prevent a tragedy from occurring, wouldn’t you do so? Horrible disfiguring injuries take place each year when people (including children) use gas cans in the course of household chores and the cans explode. These explosions could easily be prevented if the manufacturer included a small wire mesh spark arrester in the can.

Woodland and Dixon Walmarts sell plastic Blitz gas cans that lack metal spark arresters. We are asking readers to be aware of this potential hazard and to ask Walmart managers to sell only gas cans that have spark arresters, which cost a few extra pennies to manufacture.

Sign the e-petition on the Take Justice Back website at http://takejusticeback.com/node/60. Tell Walmart to stop selling Blitz gas cans.

Flame arresters were invented 200 years ago and are commonly used today on water heaters and charcoal lighter fluid cans. Flame arresters also have been used in metal gas cans for 100 years and prevent explosions. Workplace standard 1926.155(l) on fire protection and prevention requires that gas cans have flame arresters. Yet gas cans sold to American consumers are not required to meet workplace standards.

Plastic gas cans represent 95 percent of all gas cans sold in America, or an estimated 19 million per year. Blitz, the manufacturer accounting for 75 percent of all U.S. sales, does not include a flame arrester in its plastic gas cans. In fact, until 2009 Blitz did not make its gasoline cans childproof. It took an act of Congress to force Blitz to make the needed design changes.

Blitz refuses to incorporate a cheap mesh spark arrester on its plastic cans, creating a serious threat of injury to children and unsuspecting adults. Please join us. We support responsible businesses that put people above profit.

Bob Bockwinkel and Richard Yamagata

Progressive Business Exchange of Davis