# Cell phone battery explodes, killing owner



## PhotonWrangler (Nov 28, 2007)

It was in his shirt pocket when it blew... oo:


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## TorchBoy (Nov 28, 2007)

Some more details from a local paper.

And in this morning's paper there was a story about a cellphone battery which exploded in the middle of the night, the first cellphone battery explosion in *this* country. Can't find the story on the site tho.


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## Illum (Nov 28, 2007)

theres a couple others :candle:
Cell Phone Explosion Spree in Brazil back in 2006
Report: Cell phone explodes in trousers [2003] Netherlands
exploding cellphone [2004] San Diego 
Cell phones: Too hot to handle? [2004] Philadelphia
Fake batteries blow up in the industry's face [2004] San Francisco
Teen Burned When Cell Phone Catches Fire [2004] California
Battery explosion injures student [2005] [Wyoming]
A cell phone explodes in jacket pocket [2005] [Salt Lake city]


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## PhotonWrangler (Nov 28, 2007)

I've heard of most of those events, usually associated with knockoff or damaged batteries. This is the first time I've heard of a battery-related fatality though.


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## Monocrom (Nov 28, 2007)

Not the first time I've heard of cellphone batteries blowing up.... First time someone died though. This was a big problem in America a few years ago. 

Cheap, counterfeit batteries were part of the problem.


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## abvidledUK (Nov 28, 2007)

Well I would never have a mobile in a shirt pocket, next to my heart anyway.

The intermittent transmitted high power pulses cannot be good for any organs.

Same goes for on belt, near other organs.

Not body worn when I can help it.

(Suppose I'll get manky left hand now ! )


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## TorchBoy (Nov 28, 2007)

Illum_the_nation said:


> haha...  hardly the first


Am I missing something here or did you? I found a link to the story:



> The incident is believed to be *New Zealand's* first case of a cellphone battery explosion.


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## Illum (Nov 28, 2007)

TorchBoy said:


> Am I missing something here or did you? I found a link to the story:



I misunderstood...I thought you meant this was the first case here in the US...dunno how I got that conclusion but sounds like a very ridiculous mistake already
edited


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## LEDninja (Nov 28, 2007)

Not the 1st time.
Back in July 3
Chinese Youth Killed By Cell Phone Battery Blast
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/168673


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## z96Cobra (Nov 29, 2007)

Looking at the pics of the phone, I wouldn't exactly call it an *explosion*, like the article states. It isn't pretty either way, but when I picture an "explosion" some parts should be missing. It looks like this phone is all there, just melted from intense heat.

Roger


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## z96Cobra (Nov 29, 2007)

Just read on CNN.com that now they are saying the "exploding" phone did not cause the death.

Roger


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## Haz (Nov 29, 2007)

It appears the cell phone didn't kill the man, but was actually his co-worker who accidently killed him, and tried to cover it up by lying about the mobile phone exploding.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/exploding-phone-death-confession/2007/11/30/1196037111096.html

"A co-worker of the man, who told police that he found the 33-year-old lying dead and bleeding from the nose, has now confessed he killed the man, _The Korean Times_ newspaper reported."


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## TorchBoy (Nov 29, 2007)

That's a *much* better explanation for a broken spine. They don't break very easily and for an explosion in front of him, I'd expect more than the odd broken rib etc if the spine was broken as well.


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## savumaki (Nov 29, 2007)

abvidledUK said:


> Well I would never have a mobile in a shirt pocket, next to my heart anyway.
> 
> The intermittent transmitted high power pulses cannot be good for any organs.
> 
> ...



You might look a tad weird carrying out at arm's length since all other normal carry places are a 'no no'.


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## FlashCrazy (Nov 29, 2007)

Here's a video about it: http://kste.com/cc-common/news/videos/player.html?loc=0&pimg=&redir=yes


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## TorchBoy (Nov 29, 2007)

savumaki said:


> You might look a tad weird carrying out at arm's length since all other normal carry places are a 'no no'.


[TorchBoy takes cellphone out of left pants pocket.] :tinfoil:


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## PhotonWrangler (Nov 29, 2007)

Well, it's still a tragedy but I'm relieved to hear that it wasn't caused by the phone. Thanks for the follow-up, guys!


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## 65535 (Nov 30, 2007)

I told everyone on another forum that the cell phone didn't kill him, they didn't believe me, something else had to have happened, I at first thought maybe a pop from a venting battery scared him and he fell or got hit by something (which he did), never assumed it was a case of work related accidental death, although how the fun caught fire I don't know, but the rep who said lithium polymer cells don't explode should check out rcgroups.com they explode and dangerously, although small cells are very safe.


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## abvidledUK (Nov 30, 2007)

Haz said:


> It appears the cell phone didn't kill the man, but was actually his co-worker who accidently killed him, and tried to cover it up by lying about the mobile phone exploding.
> 
> http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/exploding-phone-death-confession/2007/11/30/1196037111096.html
> 
> "A co-worker of the man, who told police that he found the 33-year-old lying dead and bleeding from the nose, has now confessed he killed the man, _The Korean Times_ newspaper reported."



Here too

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91221-1295090,00.html?f=rss


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## geepondy (Dec 2, 2007)

You know when I was a kid way back in the 70s, I heard about a story of a welder getting killed when a welding spark landed on his Bic lighter which was in his shirt pocket and the spark melted thru the plastic and the lighter exploded, killing him. I always wondered whether that was really true or not.


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## TorchBoy (Dec 3, 2007)

geepondy said:


> You know when I was a kid way back in the 70s, I heard about a story of a welder getting killed when a welding spark landed on his Bic lighter which was in his shirt pocket and the spark melted thru the plastic and the lighter exploded, killing him. I always wondered whether that was really true or not.


That was one of the things in last week's Mythbusters episode. (We see them a bit behind here, like several months behind.) Their conclusion was that it might burn you - and they had some great slow motion explosions - but it wouldn't kill you.


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## Lightraven (Dec 11, 2007)

When phones explode and kill people, I assume Mossad is on the warpath.


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## garence (Dec 14, 2007)

I can't believe even a cheap knock-off battery would explode in a cellphone not in a charge mode. However, I can believe a cheap charger with poor circuit regulation could cause a charging battery to explode.

Anything that you plug into an outlet should be properly UL certified or at least made by a well known brand name. Otherwise, you're just asking for trouble...


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