Flammability

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Flammability or Inflammability is the ease with which a substance will ignite, causing fire or combustion. Materials that will ignite at temperatures commonly encountered are considered flammable, with various specific definitions giving a temperature requirement. The flash point is the important characteristic. A volatile substance may have sufficient vapor pressure to form flammable (or even explosive) mixtures with air in temperatures as low as –10 °C, so that ignition can occur even without direct contact. Flash points below 100 °F (37.8 °C) are regulated in the United States by OSHA as potential workplace hazards. Examples of flammable liquids are gasoline, ethanol, and acetone. Diesel fuel is in one of the less heavily regulated flammability categories, and biodiesel is considered nonflammable or noninflammable with a flash point usually over 300 °F (150 °C) even though biodiesel will combust inside a diesel engine.

The word flammable is of relatively recent origin but has in many contexts, especially safety, taken the place of the word inflammable, an older term with the same meaning. Some people, especially young children and non-native English speakers, find inflammable confusing, thinking that the Latin prefix in- (here an intensifier) always means "not" <ref>http://www.bartleby.com/61/47/F0164700.html</ref>. The "in-" comes from the latin preposition "in". Because many people assumed that the "in-" meant not, the corruption "flammable" has become more prevalent. To avoid this confusion, in some countries such as the United States, trucks carrying gasoline and other flammable substances are marked "flammable". In other countries, such as India, lorries carrying petrol and other inflammable substances are marked "highly inflammable".<ref>For example, this picture from a newspaper</ref> The Chicago Manual of Style suggests using "flammable" for clarity.<ref>The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed. Chicago:University of Chicago Press, 2003. 215</ref> The Elements of Style ("Strunk and White") says

Flammable. An oddity, chiefly useful in saving lives. The common word meaning "combustible" is inflammable. But some people are thrown off by the in- and think inflammable means "not combustible." For this reason, trucks carrying gasoline or explosives are now marked FLAMMABLE. Unless you are operating such a truck and hence are concerned with the safety of children and illiterates, use inflammable.