In the United States, FEMA (The Federal Emergency Agency) has just updated its report on 2014's electronic cigarette fires and explosions. With this update, the 64 pages report deals with the incidents that occurred from 2009 to 2016.
“TO DATE, NO DEATH HAS BEEN RECORDED FROM AN E-CIGARETTE EXPLOSION”
If the basic report has been published by the FEMA (The Federal Emergency Agency) in October 2014, the new version brings an update and deals with the incidents which took place between September 2014 and December 2016. According to FEMA, many incidents occurred between these two dates including explosions of "electronic cigarettes In the pockets of users.
Key points of the report :
- Fires or explosions caused by batteries (rechargeable batteries) used in electronic cigarettes are rare; However, the consequences can be devastating and change the lives of victims.
- It is likely that the number of incidents and injuries will continue to increase.
- Since the current generation of lithium-ion batteries is the root cause of these incidents, it is clear that these batteries are not a safe source of power for these devices.
- Between January 2009 and December 2016, 195 explosions involving an electronic cigarette were reported by the American media. These incidents resulted in 133 acute injuries. Of these injuries, 38 (29%) were serious.
- To date, no death has been observed in the United States following an explosion or the use of electronic cigarettes
- 62% of explosions involving an e-cigarette or a battery occurred when the device was in use or stored in a pocket.
Between January 2009 and December 2016, 195 incident reports involving e-cigarette explosions were found in the United States. 133 acute injuries have been reported. No deaths were reported during the study period.
By analyzing the graph (to the left) we learn that out of 195 incidents, 61 concerned e-cigarettes in a pocket, 60 concerned a model in use, 48 happened following a charging battery.
According to FEMA, media reports generally characterize these incidents as explosions. Although there is usually a brief period of overheating and gas evolution at the start of the event, events tend to occur suddenly and are accompanied by loud noises, smoke, and battery ejection.
In 133 cases of explosions or fires due to an e-cigarette (68%), a person was more or less seriously injured:
- Thirty-eight incidents caused serious injuries to an individual, the victim had to be hospitalized and lost part of his body, suffered third degree burns or injuries to the face.
- Eighty victims sustained moderate injuries, ie with emergency treatment for smoke inhalation, 2nd degree burns or lacerations requiring stitches. Usually, incidents reported as moderate injuries do not require hospital admission.
Of the 195 incidents involving electronic cigarettes, 128 (66%) caused the ignition of nearby objects such as clothing, rugs, curtains, bedding, sofas or vehicle seats. Users were generally nearby when the incident occurred, were alerted by the sound of the explosion, and were able to respond quickly.
Out of 195 incidents, the firefighters only had to intervene 18 times. In 168 cases, people were able to react to themselves or to put out the fire.
When we look closely at the comparative graph of explosions with e-cigarette sales, we see that the phenomenon is proportional. Contrary to what can be explained in the media, the number of incidents involving electronic cigarettes remains stable in relation to sales. It would even tend to decrease from year to year.
After the “boom” period (between 2012 and 2014) we can clearly see that the curves follow one another, in fact the market has stabilized and the incidents with it.
WHAT FINDINGS FOR FEMA?
With the update of its initial report of 2014, FEMA brings some conclusions. According to them, electronic cigarettes using lithium-ion batteries present a new and unique danger to consumers. No other consumer product places a battery with a known risk of explosion near vital areas of the human body (Mobile phone ? No ?). In order to reduce the frequency of e-cigarette explosions, the following recommendations should be taken into account:
- Consumers should research and demand products that have been evaluated for safety and that are listed by UL (Underwriters Laboratories, an independent American product safety certification and consultancy company.). Look for the UL mark on the product and packaging.
- The long term effects of the new UL safety standard cannot be determined at this time. Even with improved protection circuitry and compliance to provide such protection, there remains a possibility of battery failure that could result in serious injury. Manufacturing defects and battery problems simply cannot be eliminated.
Lithium-ion batteries should not be used in electronic cigarettes. If the number of exploding batteries is statistically low, the serious injuries that can occur justify the use of another technology for electronic cigarettes.
- As long as lithium-ion batteries continue to be used in electronic cigarettes, serious injury will continue to occur.
To view the full report "Electronic Cigarette Fires and Explosions in the United States 2009 - 2016".
