Duplicolor aerosol cans

The reports, as CPSC published them

1. Emergency room

   Made May 1, 2019 · , sent to the company May 9, 2019 · , published by CPSC May 23, 2019

   The product, in the report: Plastic aerosol nozzle and other apparatus for 12 oz automotive paint brake caliper paint Cannot clearly read manufacture date, because it was stamped blurry and ran off edge of can! DOT/TC-2Q M5702

   I am reporting this because I believe there is a faulty aerosol spray can and nozzle design and possibly inadequate manufacture integrity risking the eyesight and other consumer safety. I was at home, preparing to use Duplicolor bright red automotive brake caliper spray paint in an aerosol can to paint my wheel hubs on my car. Upon simply removing the outer cap on the can, which came off with no struggle (highly unusual usual for a spray can outer top, as well!!) THE CONTENTS ERUPTED OUT OF THE CAN LIKE A VOLCANO!! Straight pressure shot to my face, especially my right eye, and the fountain of paint flew well beyond my head upwards. The entire accident is captured in color on our home surveillance camera video. My reaction to throw the can and run then got the paint all over my legs, and it was already all over my face and arms. The contents continued to spew out all over our freshly washed driveway of our home which we are trying to sell. The paint also got all over the wheel I had been sitting on, the car, and even paint droplets on vehicles parked several car lengths away in the driveway! The aerosol tip was broken off, upon inspection, and could have easily flown into my eye with the initial pressure release, rupturing my eye. Hours later, paint would still ooze out of the can when it was moved. The design appears to have no safety preventing such a risk of violent product release, not like the standard aerosol designs we are all accustomed to with the male tips that can be interchanged and removed for cleaning, etc... the plastic tip that came off appeared to not even be solid - you can see just two raised areas on the edge of the circumference where the break occurred. Further, it appears that if and when this tip breaks off, there is nothing preventing the eruption of the can contents. I never would have tried it, but imagine a consumer in a store accustomed to interchangeable spray tips trying to pull this tip off... if they were lucky enough not to get a fountain in the face upon simply removing the outer cap, like happened to me, imagine their surprise when they try to remove the tip and get a face full of paint and pressure! During the initial response and eye flushing, I lost feeling in my hands and arms to my elbows... I suspect blood pressure spike and or other stress, as the feeling did return. We called 911 and poison control, my husband and son read the canto confirm instructions for an accidental release into the eyes, and had to flush for 40 minutes before I could stop long enough to be driven to the ER without my eyes sticking shut and burning too much. They put a flush system directly on my eyeballs in the ER, and they gave me a prescription for an antibiotic eye ointment which I first didn’t understand until that night, and even 1 day later, I still had paint coming out of my eyes, along with the sticky puss that was coming out. 2 days later, another pressure flush by the ophthalmologist specialist and a battery of testing.

   I have sustained medical expenses (ER visit, specialist followup, prescriptions, special eye drops, and more specialist follow ups scheduled), clothing and home damage due to the paint going everywhere dan even sticking to clothes and any house parts I touched hours later. Add the terror of fear I’d lose my eyesight, and the uncertainty of whether there will in fact be residual effects. Today is day 4, and I am still unable to be back to work for more than a few hours a day, because the light is too much, and my job requires near 100% computer work. I have lost money, my employer has lost time and productivity, my insurance provider is losing money, all due to this unsafe, faulty valve and nozzle design and epic product fail.

   **I have tried to provide full and complete product details; however, it appears that the same faulty manufacture processes didn’t even have their date and time stamp equipment properly aligned, so those details are not clearly legible and/or run off the edge of the can bottom!!**

   Model

   Caliper enamel with ceramic (red)

   UPC

   026916012005

   Bought from

   Advance Auto Parts, Florida

   Bought

   Apr 27, 2019

   Where

   Land O Lakes, Florida: Home/Apartment/Condominium

   Who was involved

   Age 46, Female

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Self

   As this report names them

   Brand Duplicolor, made or sold by The Sherwin-Williams Company

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received

CPSC’s disclaimer

Sources