Explosion detected in New Zealand! (Lithium Primary AA)

[KiwiMark]

http://www.consumer.org.nz/news/view...m_medium=email

It sounds like the user had no idea and mixed some batteries - Lithium primary went *BANG*!

[KiwiMark]

Remember children - mixing cells is bad mmmkay! Always use matched cells (age, brand, type, batch, etc) in multi-cell devices, mmmkay.

[Cobrala]

oh my! i have never heard of lithium primaries exploding! I thought they were safe! I try to run only safer chemistries like lifepo and limn when possible. good thing I always check my bats first before using them for multicell applications.

[Dr Jekell]

Oh my! I have never heard of lithium primaries exploding! I thought they were safe! I try to run only safer chemistry like Li-Po and Li-Mn when possible. Good thing I always check my bats first before using them for multi cell applications.

All batteries are capable of going it is just a matter of how badly they do so.

If you follow a few basic precautions when using them (that have been posted many a time on this forum) then you should be safe.

It is when you do stupid things with them that they go

[KiwiMark]

oh my! i have never heard of lithium primaries exploding! I thought they were safe!

Yeah, the person that had the exploding battery thought they were safe too. They probably thought that the nearly flat lithium AA battery and a new alkaline battery were both AA batteries and should be fine, the radio would have worked OK, confirming that there was no problem using those batteries together.

Not only should you use 2 fresh batteries from the same packet, but if possible checking them with a multi-meter to ensure that they are both reading OK & close to each other is a pretty good idea.

I have read plenty of stories about the 3V cr-123a cells exploding but this is the first AA primary explosion that I've heard of. Of course a AA lithium wouldn't be called that if it didn't have lithium in it and since lithium is potentially hazardous it is always worth being careful with the use of any cells that include that very reactive metal.

[hapiness]

HI Kiwimark,

rarely hear the explosion of disposable AA lithium battery. I got the information from you that it can explose. I will pay more attention for the battery's safety, which is considered very necessary for me.
good information about battery safety for me:

• Don't mix types, brands, or ages.
  
• Don't expose them to high heat or get them wet.
  
• Don't try to recharge a disposable battery.
  
• Remove batteries if the device is also powered by household mains power or if it's to be left unattended for long periods.
  
• Dispose of a battery that feels hot, changes colour or shape, or emits an odour.
  
• Consider switching to rechargeable batteries. They're cheaper in the long run, perform well, and you're not constantly throwing away disposables.