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The Federal Aviation Administration is fining Amazon $350,000 for not realizing it should take more precaution when shipping a product called “Amazing! LIQUID FIRE”.




According to the FAA, Amazon shipped a gallon of the “liquid fire”—in reality, a corrosive drain cleaner—from Kentucky to Colorado in 2014. The company might have gotten away with violating the hazardous materials requirement, except the container, which wasn’t properly packaged or labeled, leaked and the nine UPS employees who touched it had to be treated with a chemical wash.

Amazon, for its part, says that it strives for “continuous improvement” and will “continue to partner with the FAA,” not that it really has a choice in the matter.


The FAA, however, is not looking so kindly on this partnership. It claims that Amazon has a history of shipping dangerous chemicals and has violated the hazardous materials rules 24 times in the past two years. In one case, Amazon paid $91,000 to apologize for sending flammable liquid adhesive.

Liquid adhesive is one thing but “liquid fire”? Just take a look at the own reviews, one of which calls it “mutually assured destruction in a bottle” and then says “This is a toxic, defcon level cleaner. This should be a last resort option, once you start pouring, you can’t take it back.” Come on, Amazon, the warnings are everywhere.

[FAA, via Reuters]