Batteries blamed for explosion at FedEx

[curtispdx]

Not a whole bunch of information here but interesting nonetheless:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ht...pusfedexpackageexplosion.html?syndication=rss


Makes me think twice about sending batteries.


(If this has been posted already, my apologies. Please delete.)

 

[Roger Sully]

I just started the same thread and then saw yours ...oops

Looks like someone didn't pack 'em up properly..

 

[Roger Sully]

well i guess. it' snot as bad as I thought...


City fire spokesman Maurice Luque (Loo-kay) says two lithium batteries in a box made contact and exploded shortly after 6 a.m. Wednesday at the building in the Miramar neighborhood.
However, FedEx spokesman Rob Boulware says the batteries were nickel-cadmium.

 

[BeeMan458]

Thank-you! I was just about to post that point about them being NiCd batteries.

:thumbsup:

 

[Hack On Wheels]

well i guess. it' snot as bad as I thought...


City fire spokesman Maurice Luque (Loo-kay) says two lithium batteries in a box made contact and exploded shortly after 6 a.m. Wednesday at the building in the Miramar neighborhood.
However, FedEx spokesman Rob Boulware says the batteries were nickel-cadmium.

That's kind of odd. There would have had to be something else metal inside that box... batteries don't bend. I guess if there was a tear in the heatshrink on one of them the other might have been able to short it.

 

[jasonck08]

Why blame the batteries? How about blame the shipper for improper packaging?

 

[Superorb]

Why blame the batteries? How about blame the shipper for improper packaging?

Exactly. That's like blaming Toyota for their cars crashing. Oh wait...

 

[csa]

Some things we use in every day life are dangerous. Cars are a good example. Batteries are another, though rather less dangerous.

And anyway, it sounds like the news reports are a bit overblown... "explosion" isn't the right word for "heard a pop and smelled something odd" that you get from the actual quotes by the people who were there.

 

[Fulgeo]

Exactly. That's like blaming Toyota for their cars crashing. Oh wait...

You could be onto something here. Many are the times my best battery packs steer themselves into my newest mods.

Seriously thou I have a healthy respect for some of the high capacity and high discharge batteries I use. Caged lighting.

 

[was.lost.but.now.found]

So which is it, nicad or lithium?

And since when do fried batteries smell like gunpowder?

 

[Superorb]

Way to go Media.

 

[VidPro]

So which is it, nicad or lithium?

And since when do fried batteries smell like gunpowder?

after the 2nd re-write they (the media) seem to be settling on "lithium" which still means little.

"They found that it was commercial lithium batteries that were being shipped, and apparently ... contacts touched and caused the explosion,'' SDPD Capt. Jim Collins told reporters at the scene. "And it appears to be an accident.''

commertial? would that mean consumer? or "large quantity for industry", or raw product ?

i cant see how li-ion or standard lithium cells smells could be confused with gunpowder, but what about the burning Cardboard package? , or some of the carbon formulas used?
do fireworks smell like gunpowder, or the cardboard container they are in, or both for example??

i totally agree that it is likly that they werent shipped with the full understanding that shipped packages go through Hell

 

[Mr Happy]

shipped packages go through Hell

More precisely, shipped packages go through FedEx or UPS. But that may be much the same as consignment to hell for most practical purposes...

(Not that USPS is much better, having found one recent package nicely crushed on delivery.)

 

[Fulgeo]

I once had a small box labeled as fragile that was delivered with a boot print stomped on the outside of it. The contents survived but made me wonder if maybe having it labeling as indestructible would be better next time. When I ship batteries in my flashlights for remote use I remove the springs from the end caps and stuff some non conductive material to impede battery movement.

 

[Superorb]

I once had a small box labeled as fragile that was delivered with a boot print stomped on the outside of it. The contents survived but made me wonder if maybe having it labeling as indestructible would be better next time. When I ship batteries in my flashlights for remote use I remove the springs from the end caps and stuff some non conductive material to impede battery movement.

Packing batteries is easy, just wrap them and then tape shut.