A lighter can explode in a pocket and lead to the death of a person.

The Mythbusters put a lighter in their jeans pocket , and put the jeans under the welding machine. Because of the sparks and heat, the jeans caught fire, but the lighter did not even think of igniting.

The myth has been declared debunked, as it is unlikely that a lighter would explode in a pocket.

Comment: there were such cases, but only in the presence of an ignition source. In addition, BIC lighters, for example, exploded much less frequently than cheaper lighters.

The lighter may explode in hot weather on the dashboard of a car

The lighter was placed in an oven heated to the maximum temperature that can be inside a car on a very hot and sunny day - about 82 C. There was no reaction for several hours, but the lighter still exploded when the legend busters raised the temperature in the oven to 180 C. However, such a temperature can hardly be in the car.

Commentary: there were cases of explosions of lighters in car interiors, but only under the condition of ignition. As in the previous case, this happens more often with cheap lighters than, for example, with BIC lighters.

A lighter can explode in a clothes dryer

After drying in the dryer along with the laundry, nothing special happened to the lighter. The myth has been debunked.

Curse of the white lighter

A brief history of the lighter: The first lighter was invented by the German chemist Johann Döbereiner in 1823. In 1932, George Blasdell invented the Zippo lighter, which was intended only for use in american army. In 1945 in France, Marcel Bic and Édouard Bouffard began to make various disposable products. The Bic disposable lighter was released in 1973.

Around the same time, Cricket lighters began to be produced.

Many have heard of the curse of the white lighter. This myth is based on the fact that a white BIC lighter was found in the pockets of Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Kurt Cobain.

But if you remember, the first BIC lighters began to be produced in 1973. Meanwhile, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix died in 1970, and Jim Morrison died in 1971. Kurt Cobain is the only one in whose pocket a white lighter was actually found. So this myth is also debunked.

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In addition to the fact that after shaking in the car, pressurized soda splashes and stains everything around, there are many documented cases of cans exploding. Washing the car interior from sweet spots is quite difficult, so it is better to rid yourself of such problems in advance.

9. Medicines

In the instructions for medicines, as a rule, it is always written at what temperature they should be stored. And while some medicines, such as antibiotics, should preferably be kept in the refrigerator, most other everyday medicines should at least not be exposed to temperatures above +25 °C. According to experts, the heat won't necessarily make your pills harmful, but they will almost certainly become less effective.

8. Lighters

Warning labels on lighters state that they should not be exposed to high temperatures and left in the sun for a long time. And there is a reason for that. As we have already found out, the temperature in the car can be quite high, and this can lead to an explosion of the lighter. People talk about the numerous unpleasant consequences of such an event: plastic fragments throughout the cabin, burnt places on the seats (if the object was lying on the chair) and scratched glass. And this is only the best case.

7. Sunscreen

Oddly enough, but products designed to protect our skin from hot sunlight suffer from them no less. Components contained in sunscreens, are destroyed at elevated temperatures. At best, their effectiveness is reduced, at worst, the bottles can explode, leaving behind difficult-to-remove greasy stains. It is best to store such products at a temperature not exceeding +25 ° C, while in the cabin of a car parked near the beach, the temperature can reach +50 ° C.

6. Sunglasses

In addition to the obvious inconveniences such as a hot frame, which can burn and cause discomfort, you should not leave glasses on the panel also because, and the lenses will burn out. What's more, according to the American Optometric Association, lenses can attract the sun's rays like a magnifying glass, and we all know where that can lead.

5. Drinking bottled water

Studies on this matter provide mixed answers. On the one hand, it has been proven that BPA (bisphenol A) is released into the water at elevated temperatures. On the other hand, it is argued that in small doses, this Chemical substance does not harm health. Water that you have already opened, drank and left in a heated car carries a greater risk, since bacteria that have entered the bottle will definitely multiply under the influence of high temperatures, and subsequent use of such water can lead to serious problems.

4. Wine

If you are going to buy a bottle of wine for dinner, it is better to do it in the evening after work, and not in advance. The fact is that with strong heating, the taste of wine is greatly distorted, and in general there is a risk that the liquid will push the cork out and spill out. Moreover, studies have shown that excessive heat exposure can lead to the formation of ethyl carbamate (EC) in wine, a carcinogen that adversely affects human health.

3. Smartphones and other electrical appliances

As you know, smartphones and other electronics tend to overheat from use even when normal temperature. So the negative impact of high temperatures from the outside is by no means a surprise. In particular, artificial overheating of devices running on batteries will not only shorten the life of the battery itself, but can also harm other elements - the touch screen, the plastic case and the glue that connects all the parts together.

2. Aerosol cans

This applies to any derivatives - deodorant, paint, hairspray and so on. This point is sometimes controversial, and yet, according to experts, as soon as the temperature reaches about +48 ° C, the pressure inside the can will increase enough to arrange a real explosion. And this is not surprising, because it is no secret to anyone that hair sprays are used in games with fire, which means that we are probably dealing with a flammable agent.

1. Glass suction cup


Disposable lighters… what is it? A harmless fire starter or a pocket threat in a plastic case?

There are myths about a number of circumstances in which a simple lighter injures a person with an explosion, or even kills. The MythBusters program experts found out: can a disposable lighter explode? For example, when hit by slag. A welding shop can be the perfect place for a lighter accident - right?

An explosion requires 3 things: fuel, a source of spark, and oxygen. The legend said: if you burn a lighter during welding, the gas will flow out, and the air and heat organize an explosion. Preparing for the experiment, Adam placed an iron bar on the box, and next to it he placed a burner controlled from a distance. The burner is a source of sparks and hot slag. The lighter was placed directly under the burner. How will she behave?

The switched on burner produced a cascade of sparks. The first lighter began to melt, burn, the gas came out and caught fire. The second lighter exploded - in a beautiful fireball flew off the test bench. A third followed suit.

In the second part of the program, the lighter was tested in the dryer. In the dryer, having heated up to 70 ° C, the lighter spent a whole hour - and nothing. You need enough heat to explode, and then a source of spark. This was not the case in the second experiment. The legend has been destroyed.

In the following legend about lighters, the destroyers tested: would something terrible happen if you hit the lighter hard with a golf club? After a series of experiments, the program experts came to the conclusion that hitting a lighter with a golf club is fraught with an explosion and fire.

Offered with disposable lighters long list warnings: do not pierce, do not set on fire, do not heat above 50 ° C, do not leave in the sun ... Will a warm car cause a disaster? Need to check! The toaster was an analogue of the dashboard. Result: even with maximum temperature, to which the dashboard can heat up, the lighter does not explode. The minimum melting temperature of the lighter (which leads to the release of gas) is 150 ° C. The myth did not stand up to scrutiny.

Then Adam and Jamie decided to introduce a human analogue into the burner trials. The legend failed the test. Clothes caught fire from the hot slag, and the lighter was quiet. It is absolutely impossible to die from this.

Next up is the next legend. The interior of the car was filled with lighters (more than 500). A vacuum heater was placed over the lighters and turned on. In the intense heat, lighters began to burst and release gas, burning one after another. The destroyers struck a spark - and the cabin was filled with fire, the rear window was squeezed out by an explosion. The perfect excuse to quit smoking.

Result: 500 lighters give powerful explosion if there is a spark source.

The general conclusion: the danger of disposable lighters, gas tanks in miniature, is greatly exaggerated. Just like the fears of autonomous gasification. Myths remain myths.