Batteries Explode Back In The News
Is it a coincidence that after two very positive reports extolling the virtues of vaping the media discovers more exploding battery stories?
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by Dave Cross
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As most people are aware, the lithium ion technology that powers the cells in vape equipment is the same battery tech found inside laptops, cellphones and a host of other household products. When cells fail in other products it is the fault of the battery – but when an accident occurs involving a mod it is always vaping that takes the blame.
The video above shows a woman in a shopping centre in New Jersey. One report of the event managed to link vaping to a terrorist attack by the second paragraph. “It sounded like a gunshot. It sounded like a bomb went off,” said the owner of the Louis Vuitton bag. “It was 9/11. I thought someone had put something in my bag.”
Like all of the previous stories, the woman denied doing anything wrong and made out it was the device’s fault. She expressed her relief that the bag wasn’t in her car, that her child wasn’t holding it…and would probably have expressed delight that the President was safe had she been given the opportunity. But then one article quoted her saying: “It was not even the complete e-vape that did it. It was just a loose battery. It was terrifying.”
So, nothing to do with vaping at all then; a loose battery vented after short-circuiting on conductors (possibly keys) in the bag. Just like a previous example another outlet cite, a loose battery in Katrina Williams’ jeans pocket in nearby Queens. If metal connects the positive and negative poles of a cell it will discharge too quickly, overheat and then vent. Both of these are examples of ignorance and not dangers inherent in vaping.
ITV carried an identical tale: “Man suffers terrible burns after e-cig battery explodes in his pocket.” While Jim Vearncombe’s injuries look shocking and mean that he’ll have to undergo skin grafts, there is nothing special about this battery – it is not an “e-cig battery”. The cell can be commonly found in camping lights, torches, bicycle battery packs and computer power packs.
The news article reports Jim as being “put off e-cigarettes for life”. What the event should have done is put him off placing an unprotected cell in his pocket with keys or coins. The same scientific principles at work here by Bear Grills as a survival technique – something possible even with a humble lemon. To date, nobody has blamed Bear or fruit for forest fires so it seems a tad unfair to blame vaping for people’s unsafe storage of batteries.
If you are thinking about carrying a li-ion cell in your bag or pocket we strongly recommend you buy one of the many safe storage options. You can obtain insulating plastic jackets, boxes and carrying pouches at very reasonable prices.
Photo Credit:
Banner image – pixabay.com
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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