Re: Could a lighter blow up in your hand?

Hi Kevin,

A lighter could blow up in your hand, but only if it was leaking or very, very hot!

Lighters are designed to withstand a whole lot 'o damage, as they need to be shipped in a truck, up mountains and parked in hot lots, they get taken on camping trips and left in pockets in washing machines. The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR- 49 in this case) specifies exactly how much abuse these need to be able to take.

Disposable lighters are pressurized, usually a gas that's so compressed that it liquefies. When you press down on the button, you allow the fuel to escape. The spark provides the heat needed for the fire, and as the gas comes out of the little nozzle, it mixes with the air, and fire happens.

In order to have an explosion of lighter fluid, you need a fuel-air mixture in a confined area, and a spark in that confined space. Not too likely if the lighter's in good condition.

And heating the lighter up will expand the gas, which could pop the lighter, and if it pops near the heat source, that can make a dangerous fireball.

Also, zippo-type lighters are filled by pouring naptha (another flammable liquid) into a reservoir. If some is spilled and then the flint is struck, a messy fire can result, but not likely an explosion.

In short, anything is possible, but a lighter exploding in your hand isn't very high on that list. And be careful what you light with it, too.

--Sarah