Fitness blogger dies after being hit by exploding cream canister

PARIS — French authorities are investigating the death of a fitness blogger who was reportedly hit by an exploding whipped cream canister that was withdrawn from the market in 2013.

The prosecutor’s office in the eastern city of Mulhouse said an investigation was underway into the death of 33-year-old Rebecca Burger last Sunday and whether a faulty siphon on a highpressure canister used to make and dispense whipped cream was at fault. The prosecutor would not comment pending further investigation.

The magazine 60 Million Consumers reported that the exploding canister hit Burger violently in the chest, causing her to suffer a heart attack.

The magazine said it had been warning for years of such risks after dozens of incidents since 2010.

“It is, to our knowledge, the first time there has been a death from such an explosion. We knew it would happen one day,” said the magazine’s deputy editor, Benjamin Douriez.

Burger’s family announced her death on Burger’s Instagram account and added a photo showing a dismantled example of the type of whipped cream canister that “struck the thorax.”

Authorities have the device that hit Burger, her family said.

The manufacturer of the kitchen product, Ard’time, said the product had not been on the market since February 2013 and efforts were made to alert consumers about the problem.

“Unfortunately, there are still lots of siphons of all brands that remain potentially dangerous,” the company said.

France’s consumer-protection agency warned against the “risks” of some siphons.

More than 200,000 defective products have been identified since 2010 and users were told to take them back to the seller, the agency said.

It recommended not using any siphon in aluminum with a plastic head.