As millions of people prepare to board planes for vacation, the Federal Aviation Administration is warning travelers about the dangers hidden in their luggage. lithium ion battery. These batteries are built into everyday devices like laptops, tablets, and even electric toothbrushes and can catch fire when used. overheat or damaged.
Last July, panic broke out on an American Airlines flight from San Francisco to Miami when a laptop battery in a carry-on caught fire.
Shilpa Patel, a passenger on the flight, said: “It was total chaos. It really felt like a human being had been taken over. And it was scary.” “We don’t know if it’s going to explode or not. All we know is we have to get out, we have to survive.”
Lithium battery fires on U.S. flights have increased 388% since 2015 and now occur nearly twice a week, according to FAA data.
“Any fire at 30,000 feet is unacceptable,” said David Wroth of safety research organization UL Standards & Engagement.
A UL survey of more than 800 flight attendants found that 87% are concerned about: Lithium battery risks More than a third think airlines need to do more to ensure passenger safety. The FAA requires airlines to include general safety information in preflight announcements, but those warnings often do not address specific risks. Battery ignition.
Ben Sapko, who oversees hazardous materials safety at the FAA, said, “There probably needs to be a balance in order to better strike with the airlines.” “Passengers don’t fully understand how serious the risks are.”
Sapko said passengers should monitor their equipment during the flight and immediately notify flight crew if the equipment becomes hot, discolored or bulges. Passengers are warned not to pack their luggage lithium battery Fires in the cargo hold are difficult to extinguish, so please store them in your checked baggage.
“People act erratically when they don’t know what’s going to happen,” Patel said. “It doesn’t cost anything to just say, ‘Hey, the reason we’re taking this so seriously is because it can be really dangerous. It could catch fire.’ ”
UL’s research also found that one in four passengers admitted to carrying a lithium battery in their checked baggage. This is a dangerous practice for one reason in particular. It is even more difficult to put out a fire in the cargo hold of an airplane.
CBS News contacted American Airlines for an update on the incident and safety announcements at the San Francisco airport. The airline did not directly address the question, but said its flight attendants receive thorough and ongoing training to deal with onboard emergencies.
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Ashhar Quraishi
