Gas duster
This type of product is most often packaged as a can that, when a trigger is pressed, blasts a stream of compressed gas through a nozzle at the top.
Common duster gases include hydrocarbon alkanes, like butane, propane, and isobutane, and hydrofluorocarbons like 1,1-difluoroethane, 1,1,1-trifluoroethane, or 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane which are used because of their lower flammability.
[1] The first patent for a unitary, hand-held compressed air dusting tool was filed in 1930 by E C Brown Co, listing Tappan Dewitt as the product's sole inventor.
[2] The patent application describes the product as a Single-unit, i.e. unitary, hand-held apparatus comprising a container and a discharge nozzle attached thereto, in which flow of liquid or other fluent material is produced by the muscular energy of the operator at the moment of use or by an equivalent manipulator independent from the apparatus the spray being effected by a gas or vapour flow from a source where the gas or vapour is not in contact with the liquid or other fluent material to be sprayed, e.g. from a compressible bulb, an air pump or an enclosure surrounding the container designed for spraying particulate material.
Gas duster can be used for cleaning dust off surfaces such as keyboards, as well as sensitive electronics in which moisture is not desired.
When inhaled, the gas displaces the oxygen in the lungs and removes carbon dioxide from the blood, which can cause the user to suffer from hypoxia.
The euphoric feeling produced stems from cellular mechanisms that are dependent on the molecular structure of the specific inhalant, as is the case with all psychoactive drugs.
[5] This type of inhalant abuse can cause a plethora of negative effects including brain and nerve damage, paralysis, serious injury, or death.
electronic versions which only use air have become viable alternatives that are preferred by many large corporations due to the fact that they contain no hazardous chemicals, are safe for the environment, do not freeze and cannot be abused.
