E-Cigarette Explosion Injury Blamed on Batteries

Malfunctioning batteries are being blamed for an apparent epidemic of E-cigarette explosion injury.

One E-cigarette owner from New York says he suffered an E-cigarette explosion injury when his device exploded in his pocket while he was at work, according to a CNN report.

Otis G. says he was working behind the counter at a wine shop in Grand Central Terminal when the explosion happened.

Witnesses say sparks and smoke started shooting out of Otis’s pants pocket. Another shop employee said he ran behind a pillar when the sparks started flying.

The explosion resulted in third-degree burns on Otis’s thigh, leg and hand. He had to seek emergency treatment for his E-cigarette explosion injury at a local hospital.

At the time of the report in early November, Otis reported he was still in a lot of pain. He had been admitted to the hospital’s burn unit and was scheduled for surgical treatment for his E-cigarette explosion injury, and he said he was not looking forward to missing Thanksgiving with his family.

Otis’s attorney reported he was planning taking legal action against the E-cigarette’s manufacturer.

Other E-cigarette owners have reported similar trouble recently. Last May, another New York man was injured by an exploding vaporizer.

Smoker Kenneth B. says the explosion was “like an M80 bomb went off in my mouth.” The explosion left a hole in his tongue and knocked out his teeth, and his hands were covered with burns.

Another young man from Alabama was injured in May when he was hit by a hot, flying battery from his classmate’s exploding E-cigarette. And in February, an E-cigarette explosion set a man’s entire pant leg on fire.

The Source of E-Cigarette Explosion Injury

The tendency of these devices to explode could be blamed on the design of the batteries they use.

A representative of the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association told CNN that a mismatch between the batteries and the charger can cause problems.

Placing E-cigarettes in a pocket can also be dangerous because coins that rub against the device may short-circuit the battery, he said.

The rechargeable batteries used in E-cigarettes carry a lot of power for their size. These high-power lithium-ion batteries carry enough energy to vaporize E-cigarette liquid into an inhalable form.

Batteries like these can benefit from the use of electronic power management systems that manage the large amount of power they hold. But some of the more cheaply-made batteries do not use such a system. Without power management, these batteries are at risk for being over- or under-charged.

These batteries can be sensitive to extremes of temperature, both hot and cold. They may also be susceptible to the buildup of a substance called dendrite, a flammable compound that may accumulate after multiple charging cycles.

E-Cigarette Lawsuits

Some of the victims of exploding E-cigarettes like Otis have taken to the legal system to seek compensation for their injuries.

One man from Georgia sued after spending over a week in intensive care. He alleges his E-cigarette exploded in his face. Other plaintiffs claim they suffered from broken bones and eye injuries resulting from exploding E-cigarettes.