By now, we’ve all seen multiple YouTube videos of exploding phones, e-cigarettes and hoverboards. It’s one of the risks of powering devices with lithium-ion batteries. But researchers at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and the University of Maryland have come up with a solution, according to a UPI news report. These researchers have come up with a battery that uses a water salt solution as the electrolyte medium. The electrolyte in the battery helps carry lithium ions between the cathode and the anode allowing for the loading and unloading of electric energy.
Researchers were able to generate four volts of energy using this water-based battery, which is enough to charge most household electronics. The battery generates the charge without the risk of explosions or fires that the lithium-ion batteries of today pose. The scientists who invented this technology say these batteries are safe even under …Read the rest »
Ten people in Rivera Beach, Florida, were displaced from their home after a hoverboard caused a fire. According to a WPTV news report, resident Cheryl Wade said the hoverboard was charging in a bedroom for a few minutes when it began to emit smoke and caught fire. Wade said her granddaughter was charging the hoverboard. She plugged it in, and just 10 minutes later, the board began to emit smoke and burst into flames. Wade closed the door to the bedroom, which she says may have prevented the fire from spreading to the rest of the house. Wade said she had heard previous warnings about hoverboards, but never thought it was happen to them. …Read the rest »
An e-cigarette battery exploded in romance novelist Scott Hildreth’s pocket at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. According to a KSNV news report, fire officials said Hidreth is now recovering at the hospital with third-degree burn injuries and a long recovery ahead. Hildreth told News 3 that the explosion was likely caused by a spare battery from an electronic cigarette he left in his front pants pocket. However, it is not clear how the battery ignited. …Read the rest »
The government has issued an urgent warning, advising consumers to immediately stop riding or charging LayZ Board hoverboards. According to an ABC News report, the LayZ Board hoverboards were not among the 500,000 hoverboards recalled last July. This warning comes after a fire in March when a LayZ Board that was pulled into an electrical outlet inside a home in Harrisburg, Pennyslvania, exploded and ignited a fire that killed two children – Ashanti Hughes, 2, and Savannah Dominick, 10. This was the first fatal fire directly related to an exploding hoverboard, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has confirmed.
The agency is also looking into more than 100 nonfatal incidents in 39 states related to hoverboards manufactured by a variety of companies. More than 3,000 LayZ Boards have been …Read the rest »
The U.S. Navy has banned vaping throughout its fleet after multiple reports of explosions, injuries to sailors and damage to property caused by e-cigarettes and vaporizers. According to a report in The Hill, a press release issued by the Navy stated that fleet commanders implemented this policy to “protect the safety and welfare of sailors and to protect the ships, submarines, aircraft and equipment.” The press release also stated that so far, multiple sailors have suffered serious injuries from these devices including first- and second-degree burns and facial disfigurement. …Read the rest »
A woman in Tempe, Arizona, suffered second-degree burn injuries to her legs and multiple broken bones after her electronic cigarette exploded in her vehicle and triggered a crash. According to an ABC15 news report, the 20-year-old woman told police she was backing out of a driveway when her e-cigarette exploded in her lap igniting a fire. She jumped out of her truck to extinguish the flames, but her truck jumped a curb and hit a tree. …Read the rest »
Three-year-old Ashanti Hughes died in a home fire in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, which officials said, was sparked by a hoverboard that was charging. According to news reports, the fatal fire was traced to a hoverboard that caught fire while it was plugged into an electric socket on the three-story home’s first floor. Fire officials said the family heard “sizzling and crackling” and the hoverboard exploded shortly afterward. Ashanti died in a hospital from her injuries. Two other girls remained in critical condition. Hughes’s father and a male teenager were treated for inhaling smoke and have been released from the hospital. This is the first known fatal fire linked to defective hoverboards.
Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family members of this young child for their tragic loss. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. …Read the rest »
A Texas man suffered serious injuries after an e-cigarette exploded, likely as he was using it, officials said. According to a KXII news report, the 19-year-old man was transported to a local hospital in stable condition with injuries to his face and left hand. The explosion caught a small area of the floor inside the home on fire. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire and help ventilate the home to get the smoke out. …Read the rest »
Idaho resident Andrew Hall lost seven teeth and suffered serious facial injuries after an e-cigarette he was smoking exploded in his face. According to news reports, Hall also suffered second-degree burns and was left with chunks of plastic wedged to his face. Hall posted images not just of his injuries, but also the damage the explosion had caused to his bathroom where he was smoking. The image showed a smashed sink, blood splattered sink and fire damage on the walls. …Read the rest »
Courtney Campbell who worked at a bikini coffee stand in Everett, Washington, was killed in a fatal explosion and fire when she was on the job. According to news reports, Campbell worked at Saints and Sinners, a coffee stand in the parking lot of a Shell Gas Station at Fourth Avenue West and Southwest Everett Mall Way.
She suffered severe burns and died from her injuries in a Seattle hospital. Fire officials believe a propane tank may have contributed to the blaze that destroyed the stand. Investigators also found a portable heater in the stand and are looking into whether that may have had anything to do with the fire. …Read the rest »
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