The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-10-23
What Should be the Legal Standard OF
Kerosene!

There are two widely prevalent errors
in regard to the use of kerosene. One
is that kerosene explosions are always
the result of carelessness; the other,
that the use of kerosene is necessarily
attended with more danger than accom-
panies the use of animal or vegetable
oils; in other words, that it is impossible
to make an Illuminating oil from petro-
leum which will not be more or less
risky under ordinary household con-
ditions. Both these errors are due to
popular ignorance with regard to the
nature and properties of the mixture OF
petroleum products properly denOminat-
ed kerosene, and the conditions under
which low grade or adulterated kerOsenes
explode.
Crude petroleum, from the completely
of its composition, has been aptly COM
pared to book; the products given off
at successive temperatures being the
leaves, each showing more or less pro-
nounced characteristics. Its more vOla-
tile parts are given off at a temperature
as low as the freezing point of water.
At summer heat appears rhigoline,
which boils at 659 Fab; at temperatures
below 1700, gasoline is given off; and
between that and 5000, the product is
called naphtha. The naphtha distilled
at a temperature above 2S0o is distin-
guished as benzine All these products
are without oily properties; are volatile
at common temperatures; take fire
readily; and, when their vapors are
,,nix-al nth f.n,,, 70 ,,i,,n +Tr,,ns
their volume OF air they burn with an
explosion, even when not confined.
Between 500 and 1902 kerosene is
distilled, mixture of products ranging
in character between benZine and the
heavy paraffine oils, too thick for use in
lamps. According to Professor Chand-
Ter, 100 parts of crude petroleum yield,
by distillation, i 1-2 parts of gasoline, IL
of refined naphtha, of benzine, 30 OF
kerosene, II - of paBaffine Qubricating)
oil, 2 of paraffine, and 10 of coke, gas,
and loss. Benzine is worth about halt
as much as kerosene; naphtha and
paraffine oil about one third as much.
The temptation of refiners of petroleum
is to mix their oils with the lighter and
cheaper naphtha, then bring up the
product to the appearance of kerosene
by an admiXture of paraffine oil, also
lower in price than pure kerosene. 1t
is the naphtha, with its low flashing
point, that causes all the mischief.
The legal standard for kerosene. in
this and many other States is 100 fire
test; the United States standard is 110'.
In Michigan all oils are forbidden which
flash at 400 or below. Obviously if the
law is enforced in the last named State,
kerosene accidents are quite impossible
there.
An effort is being made in Boston to
have the standard raised from 1902 to
110o; some insist that it should be made
as high as 1852 Professor Chandler,
President of the Board of Health of this
city, asserts that the standard of 1856
should be adopted everywhere; in which
case there would be an end of kerosene
explosions, provided, of course, that the
law be rigidly enforced. Should the
standard be so raised, the actual cost OF
the oil, he says, would not be increased
more than a cent or two gallon
Scientific american.