Butane torches are everyday items that are sold in a variety of different locations. But that doesn’t make them completely harmless. In fact, Oregon doctors are now warning that the small handheld torches can become something much more dangerous. FOX 12 Oregon reported that the torches have been linked to some severe burns, explosions, fires, and injuries bad enough to lead to amputations.
Doctors at OHSU and the Legacy Oregon Burn Center started looking more closely at burn patients after seeing injuries that went far beyond minor accidents. Some were burned down to the tendons and bones, according to KPTV, after using the torches. Researchers found a common thread: many of the patients had been using smokable drugs and lighting them with butane torches instead of regular lighters, and that’s where the problem stemmed from.
The torch itself isn’t hard to buy, and that’s part of the problem. FOX 12 reported that the devices are widely available and often come with locking mechanisms that keep the flame going. That lock may be useful for cooking or other legal uses, but doctors said it can become catastrophic if someone is using fentanyl or another sedating drug and loses consciousness while the flame is still on.
Recent fires in Oregon have also been linked to butane lighters. KPTV reported that three people were injured in a Woodburn hotel room explosion, a popular Portland lunch spot caught fire earlier this year, and a man died after the tiny home he was in burned to the ground. Fire investigators determined that all three fires were started by butane lighters.
Why Doctors Are Focused on the Locking Mechanism
Doctors aren’t saying every single butane torch injury happens the same way. What they’re concerned about is the fact that the torch’s lock can let a flame keep burning without someone holding down the trigger. If someone passes out or is otherwise sedated, the torch can stay on long enough to burn, whether that’s skin, clothes, or other materials.
Dr. Honora Englander, with OHSU’s Improving Addiction Care Team, told KPTV that using a torch with the lock fixed on can lead to massive complications and burns. Dr. Mark Thomas at the Legacy Oregon Burn Center said doctors are seeing more burns on hands and lower extremities these days as well. He said the injuries are affecting joints more often, which contributes to the additional need for amputations.
What Solutions Are Being Discussed
There are a series of possible next steps, at least in Oregon, including education and changes to the torches themselves. Investigative reporter Spencer Schacht said the immediate solution could involve harm-reduction messaging for people already using torches so that they’re educated on what’s going on. That would mean explaining the danger of the lock and not just reiterating that butane is, in fact, flammable.
Potential legislation is also being discussed for the future. KPTV reported that one idea would be to redesign or ban flame-locking mechanisms so a torch could only lock off, and not on, so it wouldn’t be perpetually burning. That wouldn’t remove every risk from butane torches, but doctors say it could prevent the specific kind of injury they keep seeing.