A man was badly burned while barbecuing when, he says, the sunscreen he applied caught fire. INSIDE EDITION reports on the possible dangers of spray sunscreens.
Horrifying burns on Brett Sigworth's body were caused, he says, when sunscreen suddenly bursted into flames. Sigworth said the aerosol sunscreen he sprayed over his body was ignited by a barbecue grill.
Scary YouTube videos show how some knuckleheads ignite spray-on sunscreen as a Jackass-style prank. But Sigworth says he wasn't playing a dangerous game—he was just barbecuing.
Deputy Chief Wayne McCarthy of Jersey City Fire Department said, "It is the oils and alcohol base that will burn your body."
The victim was using an aerosol spray-on sunscreen. The label does warn: Flammable: Do Not Use Near Heat, Flame or While Smoking.
A spokesman for the manufacturer said the company is investigating, "We are unaware of any prior incidents, but because nothing is more important to us than the safety of our consumers, we are taking this matter very seriously."
A YouTube video showed it only takes a moment to turn spray-on sunscreen into a flame thrower.
So how easy is it to accidentally ignite sunscreen after it's applied?
INSIDE EDITION, under the supervision of the Jersey City Fire Department, placed a dummy in front of a barbecue and sprayed the aerosol sunscreen on the dummy's face and upper chest, nothing happened, keep in mind the dummy's skin is plastic. But when the aerosol was sprayed closer to the flame, where the dummy's hands and mid-section were, the vapors and the dummy caught fire right away.
It's a painful lesson Sigworth learned the hard way!
