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http://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...ping-explosions-ecigarettes-battery/99686178/
Scott Becker was sitting at conference table conducting a work meeting when the lithium ion battery that powers his e-cigarette exploded in his pocket.
"It was like having a firework go off in your pocket," said Becker, 46, of Washington Township. "I threw my chair back, I started hitting my pants and my hip. I saw the sparks shooting out of my jeans."
Beckers suffered third-degree burns and a year later, they still require treatment three times a day.
Injuries like Becker's are becoming more common, said Karla Klas, managing director for injury prevention and community outreach at the Trauma Burn Center at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
The batteries can explode with enough force to knock out teeth and crack vertebrae if they fail in the mouth of the user.
Scott Becker, 46, of Washington Township, suffered a third-degree burn on his right hip last year when a battery he used in his vaping pen exploded. (Photo: handout, Scott Becker)
"We've been seeing some pretty deep burns," Klas said.
Klas made a presentation on the topic at the American Burn Association's annual conference last month in Boston. While she hasn't heard of any deaths caused by exploding e-cigarettes, an informal poll of representatives from about 20 burn centers around the country tallied almost 300 recent burn cases that required hospitalization, she said.
"Not only are the burns deep, but because of the chemicals that are in the batteries, it's almost like they are having a chemical burn on top of the thermal burn," Klass said.
(continues at link)
Scott Becker was sitting at conference table conducting a work meeting when the lithium ion battery that powers his e-cigarette exploded in his pocket.
"It was like having a firework go off in your pocket," said Becker, 46, of Washington Township. "I threw my chair back, I started hitting my pants and my hip. I saw the sparks shooting out of my jeans."
Beckers suffered third-degree burns and a year later, they still require treatment three times a day.
Injuries like Becker's are becoming more common, said Karla Klas, managing director for injury prevention and community outreach at the Trauma Burn Center at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
The batteries can explode with enough force to knock out teeth and crack vertebrae if they fail in the mouth of the user.
Scott Becker, 46, of Washington Township, suffered a third-degree burn on his right hip last year when a battery he used in his vaping pen exploded. (Photo: handout, Scott Becker)
"We've been seeing some pretty deep burns," Klas said.
Klas made a presentation on the topic at the American Burn Association's annual conference last month in Boston. While she hasn't heard of any deaths caused by exploding e-cigarettes, an informal poll of representatives from about 20 burn centers around the country tallied almost 300 recent burn cases that required hospitalization, she said.
"Not only are the burns deep, but because of the chemicals that are in the batteries, it's almost like they are having a chemical burn on top of the thermal burn," Klass said.
(continues at link)
