Christine Nello Scott
2009 battery fires in personal electronic devices can be terrible.
But if the batteries on the plane catch fire, the risk will be much greater.
As more and more people travel with a wide variety of portable electronics
Sometimes planes have more equipment than passengers.
The frequency of fires on the plane is getting higher and higher.
Since 1999, more than half of the 22 battery fires in the passenger plane's cabin have occurred in the past three years.
An aviation safety expert believes that these devices may be the "last unrestricted fire hazard" that people can carry on the plane ".
This month, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued a special warning to airlines on another gadget: many began issuing credit card readers to flight attendants, to increase sales of food, beverages and other facilities.
Although airlines have been using portable credit card readers for several years, F. A. A.
Earlier this month, they said they needed approval from the agency's hazardous materials department.
Like most hands.
These readers are driven by rechargeable lithium batteries, which the government considers dangerous.
"The airline came and asked if we would allow them to install a credit card reader on the plane and they wanted a spare lithium battery to get them to replace the battery," Christopher Bonanti said ,". Director of F. A. A.
Office of hazardous materials.
"I was worried about having spare lithium batteries and I asked them not to do so.
Some airlines have agreed to receive special training for handling batteries and are allowed to carry spare parts. Bonanti said.
But other airlines such as Delta and JetBlue believe it is safer to avoid carrying extra batteries altogether.
"They didn't charge on the plane and didn't remove the battery from these devices on the plane," JetBlue spokesman Brian Baldwin wrote in an emailmail message.
While the fire of the credit card reader is not reported, the list of spontaneous combustion events for other devices is like a thriller.
Last month, a portable DVD player was dropped on an American airline flight, causing a fire.
On March 2008, an American United Airlines employee put a flashlight in a Boeing 757 storage room at Denver airport.
A report said that the flashlight exploded "like gunfire" and opened-
Turn off the switch to enter the projectile.
In the same month, on a flight to Miami, a small battery landed on the frame of a metal seat, injuring eight people.
In the subsequent explosion, the ears and hair of a passenger were burnt by debris, and seven crew members were ill by smoke.
On 2004, ABC's news camera exploded on a plane used by presidential candidate John Edwards.
A seat caught fire, causing an emergency return to the airport.
More incidents were not reported, authorities said.
Gerald mcnani, Motorola's vice president, said: "If there is a problem with your air, there is nothing you can do to recover from it . "
Hold the equipment to the airline.
"If there is a problem with one of your devices battery, you will put your brand at risk.
What we do is create backups and do both sides in development so you don't have an explosion.
Data from the Consumer Product Safety Board website shows that at least 400,000 portable device batteries have been recalled so far this year, suggesting that manufacturing problems are sometimes the culprit.
The battery is becoming more and more powerful, so it is possible to release a lot of heat even the smallest battery.
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"The battery industry is trying to squeeze more juice out of these batteries to extend life," said Joe Delcambre, a spokesman for hazardous materials.
"The battery is smaller and has a longer life, with terminals that can overheat the product --it’s a risk.
"Considering that there is a battery on the passenger plane every four months, Merritt Burki, formerly a fire and explosion expert with the National Transportation Safety Commission, is now a private consultant, he suggested that they should be placed where the passengers can pay attention and not in the overhead storage box.
The ad "whenever there is a fire on your ship, especially in the overhead bin, it is shocking," Mr. Birky said.
"The area is full of luggage and coats, so you have a lot of fuel to make a fire and will not be found for a long time.
"The Department of Transport has created a website that includes travel rules for lithium batteries and works with manufacturers of portable electronic devices to spread information about hazards.
But the traffic safety board estimates that only one out of every 170 to 190 visitors actually visited the site.
"Most air passengers and crew members may not be aware of the fire risks associated with rechargeable lithium batteries," the board recommended in 2008 to take a more proactive approach to educating the public. The F. A. A.
He plans to follow this advice when he starts broadcasting public service announcements at the airport next yearBonanti said.
"Lithium batteries can go wrong," he said, adding that caution is the best course of action no matter how satisfied people are with their devices.
A version of this article was printed on page B5 of The New York edition on October 27, 2009, with the title: clear the fire risk of safety.
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