TU expert offers details on that kerosene alert on your phone
Towson University Department of Chemistry chair Ryan Casey offered insight into why officials sent an emergency push alert to phones around the area this week
By Sean Welsh on February 8, 2019
If you received an emergency notification regarding kerosene sold on Liberty Road via your mobile device this week and were left asking lots of questions, you weren't alone.
The Baltimore Sun sought answers, too, and they turned to Towson University's Ryan Casey, professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry, to offer some insight.
In a story posted shortly after the emergency push alert was sent on Wednesday, The Sun explained the kerosene was contaminated with gasoline and quoted Casey as saying gasoline is more volatile than kerosene, adding to the danger.
“Gasoline easily forms a lot of combustible vapors at room temperature,” Casey told The Sun. “If a heater is ignited, the vapors are more likely to ignite, in which case the whole device can explode.”
The Sun story said the contaminated kerosene posed an “imminent fire risk.” It was sold at the Shell station and Dash-In convenience store at 8200 Liberty Road. The store estimated 46 customers purchased clear kerosene during the time period.
Baltimore County officials said the alert was sent out to mobile devices in a specific geographic area around where the product was sold.
Professor Casey has been at TU since 2000. He has taught courses and mentored students in both the Department of Chemistry and the Environmental Science and Studies Program since his arrival.
Dr. Casey’s research interests include the environmental chemistry and toxicology of urban stormwater including issues related to runoff from highway infrastructure and copper roofing materials.
This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel’s priorities for Towson University: TU Matters to Maryland.