Safety of aerosol dispensers

Aerosol dispensers are devices consisting of a non-reusable vessel made from metal, glass or plastic, containing compressed gas, liquefied or dissolved under pressure, with or without liquid, paste or powder. This vessel is equipped with a dispensing device enabling the outflow of its content as solid or liquid particles suspended in a gas or as a foam, paste or powder, or as liquid.

For example, hairspray, whipped cream spray, spray paint etc.

Laws and regulations

Obligations for the manufacturer

Laws and regulations

The general provisions and safety requirements for aerosol dispensers are described in the law of 9 February 1994 on the safety of products and services. The requirements of this law are supplemented and developed in the Royal Decree of 14 April 1978 regarding aerosol dispensers.

Since 29 April 2010, the Royal Decree of 14 April 1978 has been deleted and replaced by the Royal Decree of 31 July 2009 on aerosols  which transposes Directive 75/324/EEC of 20 May 1975 on aerosols, as recently amended by Directive 2008/47/EC of the Commission of 8 April 2008.

The Royal Decree of 14 April 1978 needed to be adapted because technical progress and innovation had enabled the plancing on the market of a growing number of aerosol dispensers with a complex technical design and with features that differ from those of conventional dispensers. The provisions of the Royal Decree of 14 April 1978 were insufficient to guarantee a high degree of safety for this type of non-conventional aerosol dispensers. The individual design of these aerosol dispensers may involve safety risks that do not take into account the safety provisions of the Royal Decree of 14 April 1978.

The new Royal Decree of 31 July 2009 provides new criteria for classifying aerosols according to their flammability. Given the special properties of aerosols and in order to ensure an optimum safety level, these new criteria must also have regard to the risks associated with the vaporisation of their content and the special conditions of their use, rather than just the physical and chemical properties of the components themselves.

Obligations for the manufacturer

In order to be placed on the market, each aerosol dispenser must at least bear the following information in a clearly visible, legible and indelible manner:

• name and address or trademark of the manufacturer;
• the ‘З’ (inverted epsilon) symbol;
• the content by net weight and volume;
• the warning ‘Pressurised container. Protect from sunlight and avoid exposure to temperatures exceeding 50°C. Do not pierce or burn after use’;
• additional usage warnings indicating the specific dangers of using the product;
• if the product is flammable or (very) highly flammable:
  • the appropriate symbol;
  • the words ‘flammable’ or ‘(very) highly flammable’;
  • the S-phrases S2 (‘Keep out of the reach of children’) and S16 (‘Keep away from sources of ignition – No smoking’);
  • the warning ‘Do not spray towards a flame or any incandescent object’;
  • the words ‘Contains x percent mass of flammable materials’.

Furthermore, the manufacturer shall:

• meet specific requirements regarding the risk of inflammation and pressure, as set out in the Royal Decree of 14 April 1978 regarding aerosol dispensers or, from 29 April 2010, those listed in the Royal Decree of 31 July 2009 on aerosols ;
• analyse the risks and design, construct and test the aerosol dispenser in light of this analysis;
• if necessary, prepare special declarations about its use