They’re two staples of a summer day in the Northeast: a backyard grill and a bottle of sunscreen. Why not reapply some sunscreen before you prepare for a long session cooking some meats? It’s not such a good idea if your sunscreen is the spray-on kind. Sure, the can says “flammable,” but it didn’t occur to a Massachusetts man that this statement is also true after the sunscreen is on your skin, for several minutes after application. He applied some Banana Boat Sport aerosol sunscreen, walked over to his charcoal grill, and was engulfed in flames. He ended up with second-degree burns on his upper body. Way more painful than a sunburn…but no excuse to skip putting on sunscreen.

In a statement, Banana Boat said:

We are unaware of any prior incidents similar to what Brett has described, but because nothing is more important to us than the safety of our consumers, we are taking this matter very seriously.

The most shocking aspect of this story? The burned man has no plans to sue Banana Boat, instead sharing his story with the media in order to protect others from similar injuries.

“I think if people were told this is flammable for two minutes on your skin, people wouldn’t use it,” he told reporters.

Massachusetts Man Catches Fire After Applying Sunscreen [Good Morning America] (via
Consumer Reports)

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