By 1860, kerosene had replaced whale oil as the primary source of fuel for illuminating lamps. Following the distillation of kerosene from coal in 1846 by Canadian chemist, Abraham Gesner, the kerosene industry grew by leaps and bounds. By the early eighteen sixties, over sixty “coal oil” companies were producing nearly ten million gallons of kerosene annually, at great profit. However, the rapid growth in the use of kerosene came at a steep price. The lack of a common standard on the definition of kerosene and its constituent components resulted in the production of unsafe mixtures containing highly volatile compounds such as benzine and gasoline. Improper distillation techniques, as well as the deliberate adulteration of kerosene with gasoline, produced numerous fires and explosions in homes and businesses. Women and children were frequently the victims of horrific accidents in homes due to the gendered division of domestic labor. Newspaper articles and municipal health department reports decried the lack of safety standards in the production and sale of kerosene for domestic use.<br/>Public outcry led to state and federal legislation mandating minimum standards for the flashpoint and specific gravity of commercially produced kerosene. Though the flashpoint test became the dominant safety standard, there was widespread disagreement on the instrumentation and process needed to establish the temperature at which the kerosene vapor ignited.  In this presentation, we investigate the socially constructed nature of kerosene standards and laws in the late nineteenth-century. Using patents, court cases, newspaper articles, municipal reports, scientific publications, and other primary and secondary sources, we explore the chemistry and history of American kerosene consumption in the early decades. The interplay between scientific standards, flash point technology and consumer use highlights the impact of kerosene safety standards that remain in use today.

Social history of U.S. kerosene standards in the late nineteenth century

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

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