The Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection has issued a warning against over-sized lighters because of the potential fire hazard they pose when falling to the ground and breaking.
Lighters about five times larger than normal ones have recently become popular among young people.
They are most commonly sold by street vendors, novelty stores, night market shops and claw vending machines.
Because the amount of lighter fluid in the over-sized lighters is many times the amount in a regular lighter, there is a high risk of explosion should one of them be dropped or exposed to direct sunlight for a long period of time. These over-sized lighters are like bombs that pose a serious threat to those who use them and could accidentally cause a fire, Bureau Deputy Director-General Huang Lai-ho (黃來和) said.
In an effort to minimize fire hazards created by the trendy lighters, the bureau has recently inspected five types of over-sized lighters manufactured by three different companies, all of which failed to pass national product safety standards. The lighters contain lighter fluid at levels above 85 percent of the fluid container, which poses serious fire hazards even when the lighter is not being used.
The bureau has ordered the products to be taken off shelves and plans to conduct a more comprehensive inspection in the near future.
The bureau also said that even when using regular-sized lighters, they should not be placed where they are exposed to direct sunlight or temperatures of more than 50°C, such as in cars, adding that people should not play with lighters in front of children.
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