Pest Management Professional, August 2011
Pressurized aerosols are some of the most under appreciated tools available to the pest management industry U sing pressurized aerosols can be an effective and profitable way to control various pests Lets take a look at their history and their usage today First patented in 1899 pressurized aerosols were introduced as a liquid dispensing system using bottles or heavy cans Methyl chloride was used as a propellent The modern aerosol can was patented in 1927 Liquids were dispensed using propellents via a valve The shape led to the development of the aerosol bomb by the U S Department of Agriculture scientists during World War II The aerosol bomb was an oval shaped heavy metal container with a nozzle molded into the end Figure 1 Freon was the propellent and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane DDT insecticide was dispensed from the nozzle It should be noted that the effects of Freon on the atmospheres ozone layer or birds and wildlife werent known at the time Typical sizes for the DDT bomb were 5 lbs for portable use in military tents buildings and aircraft and 145 lbs for industrial use Technicians who didnt mind carrying heavy equipment for pest control twisted open the valve and walked around the room holding the bomb as the DDT was released into the air The DDT bomb was refillable worked well and led the way for the birth of the modern pest control industry and pressurized aerosol can Mass production In 1949 Robert H Abplanalp a 27 year old inventor developed a way to crimp the area around the valve Figure 2 This paved the way for the manufacture of disposable lightweight cans and led to the mass manufacture of more than 15 billion cans Royalties of more than 100 million went to the inventors company Precision Valve Corp For his time Abplanalp was the equivalent of young billionaire Mark Zuckerberg developer of Facebook Abplanalps invention is still being used in every aerosol can on the market from hairspray to insecticides Advances in the development of environmentally friendly propellents and insecticides along with sophisticated nozzle systems make the modern pressurized aerosol valuable for the pest control industry Most pest management professionals PMPs dont appreciate the knowledge it takes to select operate and use pressurized aerosols effectively Its impossible for a homeowner to control pests effectively with a limited knowledge of insecticide application How Aerosols Work Pressurized aerosols dispense insecticide by the rapid evaporation of propellent a compressed liquefied gas The propellent usually is mixed with an insecticide solution but in some cases the Figure 2 Figure 1 mypmp net Pest Management Professional August 2011 67
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