October 30, 2004
Cell phones: Too hot to handle?
A good article in News.com on the safety issues surrounding cell phone batteries and how "the threat of a cell phone turning into a sort of Zippo lighter is rare, but real."
"Bad batteries have made 2004 a year of living dangerously with cell phones. Watchdog groups devoted to the safety of consumer products say they've fielded dozens of reports this year of cell phone meltdowns that have resulted in injury and property damage.
Defective or counterfeit batteries have caused nearly all of the reported incidents, while others were caused by dropped phones, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The incidents have involved a tiny percentage of the 170 million cell phone subscribers in the United States. But consumer advocates believe that the increase in battery failures points to a worrying trend.
Related articles and incidents in the US:
Kyocera recalls 1M phone batteries
Industry groups to address exploding phones
Kyocera phone blows up in South Carolina
Verizon recalls cell phone batteries
Related articles and incidents from around the world:
-- In August 2004 a Nokia handset exploded in Hong Kong and injured a man.
-- In July 2004, a man was injured when a mobile phone he was using exploded in Beijing..
-- On July 2nd, 2004, a 16-year-old California girl suffered second degree burns Thursday when her Verizon Kyocera cell phone caught on fire in her back pocket.
-- Verizon Wireless - on June 2004 and for the second time this year - recalled 50,000 cell phone batteries some of which may be counterfeit, after reports suggesting that they may cause minor fires and injuries.
-- Good Morning America reported in January 2004, that the phone manufacturer Kyocera was voluntarily recalling batteries for one of its phones, the first-ever recall of cell-phone batteries. About 140,000 batteries custom made for the Kyocera 7135 Smartphone were recalled.
-- Nokia has confirmed that one of its 3310 handsets, which exploded and caused minor injuries to a woman in Finland in November 2003.
-- In a rare accident in Amsterdam in August 2003 a mobile phone exploded in a woman's face causing burns to her face and neck.
-- In February 2003, Cellular News reported that Nokia had admitted that cases had been reported of non-original mobile phone batteries overheating in the European, African and Asian regions, causing damage to both batteries and Nokia phones.
-- An incident in Norway was reported by Belgian newspaper Le Soir, in November 2002, when the Nokia handeset of a 15 year-old boy exploded in class. His cell phone was equipped with a non Nokia battery. No one was hurt.
-- The first case tracked down of a cellphone fault causing an explosion occured in Taiwan in June 2002, injuring its owner, and reported by Cellular News. The woman appeared on ETTV television channel saying: "The phone heated up and I could feel the heat coming from my bag, but I did not pay attention because I was eating. A few minutes later it exploded. The hot debris burned my arms and feet."
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