A boat owner noticed that something frightening was happening to his onboard gas tank: It began to swell in the hot sun.
They posted a photo of the inflating tank on Reddit and wrote: “Is there a way to stop it from expanding? Is there a way to vent this?”
One commenter remarked upon looking at the photo: “That looks dangerous.”
You’re right. A pressurized fuel tank is one of the last things a boat owner wants on board – and unfortunately, there is no easy solution to this problem.
Earlier versions of fuel tanks like this one were double vented, allowing gas vapors to escape. Unfortunately, scientists found that these vapors contain a number of dangerous, carcinogenic substances that endanger the health of people exposed to them, according to the National Library of Medicine. Because of this, the Environmental Protection Agency ruled that new mandatory gas cap designs could not have double venting to limit the release of these vapors.
Although the new version is well-intentioned, it is unfortunately just as dangerous.
Current caps allow air into the tank to ventilate it when it’s being drained, but they don’t allow air to escape. Some models have no ventilation at all. And without vents, the tanks fill with pressurized vapors. Add to that hot sun and the vapors expand even more.
Other commentators have encountered similarly dangerous situations. One warned: “I’ve seen some of these fuel tanks explode because fuel tank manufacturers are no longer legally allowed to make vents for them like they used to.”
“A pressurized fuel tank poses all sorts of safety risks compared to a vented tank,” agreed another.
Given the carcinogenic fumes and pressurized containers, there is no ideal solution for boat owners… except, of course, using a non-motorized boat.
Many car owners face a similar situation: reducing harmful emissions from dirty energy is just one of the many reasons why more and more people are choosing to switch to electric vehicles (or even give up cars altogether).
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