RJHolland

Simply, a few things going on in combination can cause the problem to occur. While certain reactions can cause expansion and corrosion to occur the major issue is the lack of a vent. A sealed can does not have a vent… when you open a can the pressure inside will, of course, release in a shower of the contents. The major drive is the temperature of the solvent, in this case alcohol, at the time that it was packaged. This does not mean the ambient temperature of the room but the temperature of the solvent at the time of packaging. Generally, the lower the flashpoint, the more critical the fill volume becomes. If the manufacture overfilled the container (meaning above the normal acceptable fill volume - this should be a known safety standard set by the manufacture for every item they package) and the solvent was at a lower than acceptable temperature, the results are disastrous. Easy experiment… fill a tanker to the top with alcohol (8k gallons or so) in Minnesota around March, plug the vent, and drive south to Huston, TX. Depending on the day you problem will not make it out of Kansas before the experiment comes to an end. How to open a bulging container safely… put on safety equipment (glasses, gloves, and the like), shutoff all sources of ignition or open outside, cool the contents, cover the container with a heavy towel, and open slowly.