Fitness blogger died in freak accident involving whipped cream canister, family says

PARIS -- French authorities are investigating the death of a fitness blogger reportedly hit by an exploding whipped cream canister that was withdrawn from the market in 2013, officials and the company that makes the product said Thursday. 

The prosecutor's office in the eastern city of Mulhouse said an investigation is underway into Sunday's death of 33-year-old Rebecca Burger and whether a faulty siphon on a high-pressure 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 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 has 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 Thursday against the "risks" of some siphons. More than 200,000 defective products have been identified since 2010 and users were told to bring them back to the seller, the agency said. It recommends not using any siphon in aluminum with a plastic head.