Originally Posted by
cyccommute
You do realize that 25 years ago was 1988, don't you? The modern oil industry started around 1823 with the distillation of kerosene from petroleum. That was the major product of petroleum distillation until well into the 20th century. The distillation cut we call "gasoline" was a waste product that wasn't even utilized until the invention of the the electrically sparked gasoline engine in 1876. Kerosene...a very good tool for the job of degreasing...has been around for 190 years.
And, really? You didn't know that people went up in flames from using gasoline? Really? Hollywood has been burning people up and exploding cars since the film industry started. You ain't been paying attention.
You couldn't go into a shop and buy degreaser that isn't oil based and flammable, poisonous. Now there are some, expensive. And there are cheap diesel and petrol, petrol being a weee bit better.
I did not see any mechanic that uses gasoline for degreasing go up in flames, nor did I hear of any in my city.