Productivity Portfolio

The story should remind us of the risks some of these common products pose if misused. I thought of these cleaning products as simple canisters of compressed air that blew the debris from my keyboard and PC. Sure, if I wasn't careful and sprayed my fingers, I might get frostbite from the refrigerant. I didn't realize that people abuse these products and many others. If you dig further, you learn many household products pose serious health hazards.

Air Duster Labels 

I was also curious how these pressurized air dusters are labeled. Specifically, what cautions or advisories were present. It seems that the manufacturers differ greatly. Perhaps, the differences relate to the ingredients. I first read the label from my can of Office Deport Cleaning Duster. There is a caution note indicating the product contains 1,1,1,2-Tetraflouroethane and mentions this is an eye irritant. There are some other cautions such as "keep out of reach of children."

In contrast, the Falcon Safety Product warning label is prominent on their Dust-Off product and provides the CHEMTREC phone number. CHEMTREC (CHEMical TRansportation Emergency Center) provides emergency assistance to deal with incidents involving hazardous materials. The company may be taking a more proactive approach since one of the slang terms for this type of abuse is called "dusting".

I'm not advocating that people abandon these products, as they are useful. Nor am I saying all kids abuse these products. Instead, I'm suggesting that we take a better look at some of the items around us that we take for granted. Many household products have the potential to cause harm if misused. The better informed we are, the better the success rate if something goes wrong.

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