Can a cell phone battery cause a fire? Learn how to avoid accidents

2024-01-27 16:59:40

Can a cell phone battery cause a fire? How should I care for it and how long does it last? It is a more common situation than is believed, but one that is rarely considered.

Late last year, in the Spanish town of Bera, a 25-year-old man died in a fire that may have been caused by improperly connected equipment. A similar situation occurred in a hotel in Australia, where two tourists left their smartphone charging all night.

It can also occur in open countryside, such as in Uruguay, where a cell phone battery would have caused a fire in a garbage dump. In Peru, a fire in Surquillo, still under investigation, left a 24-year-old man with serious burns on his hands.

It is not uncommon for one of these devices to cause a fire, since batteries store energy. At the end of the last century, nickel and cadmium were used, but the arrival of smartphones demanded more energy.

“Smartphone batteries have evolved with technologies such as lithium ion. Current materials prioritize efficiency and safety, improving overall performance,” explained Manuel Morey, product specialist at OPPO Peru.

In communication with the newspaper El Comercio, he added that today the state of the components can be monitored in real time, verifying the temperature, voltage, current and other parameters of the battery.

However, that does not eliminate the risk of fire. “Thanks to the advancement of technology and research and development efforts, this risk has been greatly reduced,” he said.

Some keys should be considered to take care of the smartphone battery, which revolve around the type of charger, usage time, useful life and material.

The charger is essential.

“It is important to use original chargers to guarantee adequate charging and avoid possible damage due to incompatible voltages and/or lack of charging security systems,” Morey commented.

Once you have the right charger, it is important not to leave the device charging overnight, which can prolong its lifespan and reduce risks. Additionally, the smartphone should not be used while it is charging.

There is a myth about recharging to 100% or discharging to 0%. For Morey, this is not crucial in modern lithium-ion batteries. “Charging between 20% and 80% is optimal, but it is not necessary to follow it rigorously.”

The useful life of a smartphone battery is usually 2 to 3 years on average, but it can vary depending on how the user uses it.

Lithium is present in batteries of different devices, including electric bicycles, cars, trucks, trains, boats and airplanes.

These equipment are also not exempt from the danger of fire. In New York (United States), around 200 fires were reported in the city caused by electric bicycles, leaving six people dead.

Poor practice can also affect the battery and cause a fire. In New York, it was proposed that electric bicycles should not be found in apartments and should only be recharged in garages.

The Grupo de Diarios América (GDA), to which ‘La Nación’ belongs, is a network of leading media outlets founded in 1991, which promotes democratic values, the independent press and freedom of expression in Latin America through quality journalism. for our audiences.

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