The Development of Aerosol Technology: A Misty History

Back in World War II, American soldiers were fighting for their lives. They were also being eaten alive by mosquitoes. They needed a way to protect themselves. Scientists turned to a technology that had actually been around since the 18th century, but needed some modifications. Since then, step-by-step, aerosol technology has evolved to what we use today.

The Evolution of the Aerosol Product

During the 18th century, the “European Enlightenment”, European thinkers took notice of the mists and vapors that clouded the earth. They began to question how liquid turned to gas and back again. Natural instances of this transformation include fog, dew, and even clouds. Those are now called “atmospheric aerosols”, though the term “aerosol” wasn’t coined until after WWI.

If we follow our modern aerosol technology back to its humble beginnings in the late 1790s, we find 18th century French confectioners creating the first self-pressurized carbonated beverages. This means, essentially, that they figured out how to get the bubbles into a soda pop bottle.

Then, in 1825, a man named Charlie Plinth invented “The Regency Portable Fountain”, the first portable dispenser for soda water. Think of the old-time comedians who would squirt seltzer at people. That was a version of the Regency Portable Fountain.

In 1899, a pair of inventors named Helbling & Pertsch developed a method of pressurized aerosol delivery using gases as propellants.

In 1927, a Norwegian man named Erik Rotheim patented an aerosol can designed specifically for dispensing different products and fluids using the chemical propellant system.

Aerosol Fights On The Front Lines

Finally, we arrive at World War II, when American soldiers were battling pesky insects as well as enemy soldiers. In 1943, two American scientists from the Department of Agriculture, Lyle David Goodhue and W.N. Sullivan, modified Rotheim’s design to create an easily portable and dispensable insect repellent. They used a fluorocarbon (liquefied gas) as the propellant. The aerosol insect repellent was a relief, but sometimes the tubes and nozzles would become clogged. Plus, the soldier’s small insect repellent containers somewhat resembled hand grenades-imagine the confusion that might have caused. Still, the aerosol technology was a huge relief for the itchy soldiers in the fields and jungles.

In 1950, the technology was further modified by an innovative inventor named Robert H. Abplanalp. Abplanalp’s spray valve was clog-free. His modification kicked aerosol technology into high gear, as hair sprays, bug sprays, spray paints, and all sorts of aerosol products hit the market. The new valve design and propellant fluorocarbons proved to be a success.

Aerosol technology remained pretty much the same from the 1950s into the 1970s, until the Nobel Prize winning scientist Dr. F. Sherwood Rowland and his colleague Dr. Mario Molina developed a theory that CFCs, the chlorofluorocarbon chemical propellant used in aerosol products, were depleting the Ozone layer. The Ozone layer is our main protection against the sun’s dangerous radioactive Ultraviolet rays, which are filtered through the stratospheric layer of reactive oxygen before they reach the Earth’s surface.