Electronic Cigarette Explosion Injures Az. Man

Image courtesy of ABC15 Arizona

An Arizona man was injured recently after he experienced an electronic cigarette explosion while the e-cigarette was in his pocket.

 

ABC15 Arizona reports that Nathaniel R. of Phoenix was severely burned recently after an e-cigarette caught fire and exploded in the pocket of his pants.

The electronic cigarette explosion left him with second-degree burns on his leg. Nathaniel told ABC15, “I felt like I just walked out of a war scene.” After the electronic cigarette explosion,Nathaniel said that a co-worker who is also a firefighter, cut off the bottom half of Nathaniel’s pant leg to treat the wound.

Nathaniel says that he thinks the electronic cigarette explosion that left him wounded was as a result of a malfunctioning of the lithium batteries in the e-cigarette.

He says that he is left with “pain, just burning, stinging pain.”

Electronic Cigarette Explosion Danger

The United States Food and Drug Administration has an upcoming meeting scheduled to look at the safety of e-cigarettes. They will discuss the safety of the lithium batteries which are used to heat the liquid inside the e-cigarettes creating a vapor.

Other reports, besides Nathaniel’s, of electronic cigarette explosion incidents have indicated that users have been severely injured. Some injuries have required hospitalization.

These devices have allegedly exploded in pockets, faces, hands and other parts of the body. They have reportedly caused fractured bones, damage to eyesight and severe burns that sometimes need surgery or skin grafts.

Apparently, critics claim the problem with the lithium batteries is that they are made cheaply and the e-cigarettes do not offer them enough ventilation. This causes heat to build up inside which can lead to an electronic cigarette explosion.

The lithium battery heats an aerosol cartridge that contains a liquid. When this liquid is heated, it becomes a vapor that is then inhaled by the user.

An additional problem with lithium-ion batteries is that they are very sensitive to changes in temperature. They should be kept between 50 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit. If not, they may suffer damage such as an explosion. Incidentally, this is the same reason why hoverboards have been exploding.

Also, when lithium batteries are made cheaply, they do not have adequate management systems which makes them susceptible to problems if they are under or over charged.

Dendrite is a substance that builds up in a lithium battery when it is charged over and over again. This conductive filament is highly flammable and may prove to be a cause behind an electronic cigarette explosion.

If you believe you have been injured by an electronic cigarette explosion, you may be entitled to legal compensation and may be able to file an e-cigarette lawsuit.