Fri, May 15, 2009
Lithium Batteries Attract Scrutiny
NTSB Member Deborah A.P. Hersman
testified, Thursday, before Congress about the safety of hazardous
materials transportation. Part of that testimony was focused on the
transportation of lithium batteries, a current issue of concern to
many in aviation.
Testifying before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Railroads,
Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, Hersman said that the Pipeline
and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has failed to
act on NTSB recommendations to address these safety issues.
The NTSB has recommended that PHMSA require reporting of all
incidents involving lithium battery fires, that failed batteries be
retained and examined, and that exemptions allowing transportation
of some lithium batteries without proper labeling be eliminated.
Lithium batteries are commonly found in watches, cameras, cell
phones and laptop computers. Failed batteries can ignite
spontaneously,
posing a safety hazard when they are transported in aviation.
The NTSB investigated a fire that destroyed two cargo pallets at
Los Angeles International Airport in 1999, and another fire in 2006
that destroyed a cargo aircraft in Philadelphia. Although the
second case could not be directly tied to lithium batteries, the
accident prompted the Board to closely examine the issue.
"As the popularity of electronic equipment has increased,"
Hersman said, "so has the number of incidents of lithium battery
fires in transportation. An in-depth analysis of the causes of
lithium battery failures would improve the safe transportation of
these batteries."
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