Power bank spontaneously ignites on the way to work, there is no safety standard

[Guide] In the face of many brands of power banks on the market, how can we buy reliable products? The reporter contacted the Beijing Electronic Product Quality Inspection Center. A staff member told the reporter that since mobile power is a new thing in recent years, there is no clear industry standard to judge this.

Yesterday morning, Miss Mao, who was rushing to work, suddenly noticed white smoke coming out of her bag. When the smoke cleared, she opened her bag and found that the power bank (ie mobile power bank) inside had spontaneously combusted. The popularity of smart phones has greatly impacted people's lives. However, due to the high power consumption, the short standby time of smart phones is often criticized by consumers. Therefore, a large number of power banks have appeared one after another, which to a certain extent solves the problem of mobile phone users not finding a place to charge when they go out. However, the charging treasures on the market are uneven, and the potential safety hazards caused by this have attracted more and more readers' attention. The reporter learned during the interview that relevant departments have not yet issued industry standards for power banks. Therefore, even professional testing organizations cannot judge how many of the power banks on the market are qualified products.

review

The power bank burned its bag

Yesterday, the reporter tried to contact Miss Mao, but the other party did not accept an interview. The reporter noticed that the incident was recorded in the photos posted by Miss Mao on Weibo. At the beginning, white smoke came out of Ms. Mao's satchel, and then the satchel was thrown on the ground. After the white smoke cleared, some of the contents inside were burnt black. Especially for a rectangular box, the damage is more serious. From the photo, there is a USB port on the box. According to Ms. Mao's description, this box is a power bank that has spontaneous combustion. Many netizens have expressed sympathy for Miss Mao’s experience. Some netizens also suggested that when buying mobile power, it is best to choose a regular manufacturer, instead of eagerly buying those three-no products.

The reporter saw on Taobao that the number of power bank products reached 550,000, with prices ranging from a few yuan to more than a hundred yuan. The power of these mobile power sources is mostly marked at tens of thousands of mAh, and the highest can reach 120,000 mAh. But for other related information, some businesses did not mark it. This also brings anxiety to consumers. "Although things are not expensive, if spontaneous combustion occurs, it is too dangerous."

survey

In addition to flying power banks are not restricted

The reporter also learned during the interview that the spontaneous combustion of the power bank is not accidental. According to relevant media reports, in early June of this year, when an airline flight was taxiing on the ground in preparation for take-off, smoke suddenly appeared from the luggage rack of the passenger cabin, and the crew handled the smoke in time to extinguish the smoke. After investigation, the perpetrator was a power bank. At the end of July, after a flight took off, a passenger used a power bank to charge his mobile phone and exploded and emitted thick smoke. The crew took emergency measures to extinguish the smoke. To this end, the Civil Aviation Administration issued the "Notice on Effectively Managing the Safety of Passengers Carrying Lithium Batteries on Airplanes" in September (Civil Aviation Fa [2013] No. 78). The notice clarified that according to the current effective ICAO "Technical Details of the Safe Air Transport of Dangerous Goods" on the definition of lithium batteries, combined with the characteristics and dangers of power banks, the power banks carried by passengers should be regarded as spare lithium batteries, not lithium batteries. device of. The power bank must be the same as the lithium battery. It is strictly forbidden to put in the checked baggage. Moreover, it cannot be used during the flight and always remains closed.

In addition to the two spontaneous combustion incidents of power banks on the plane, at 10:30 am on June 23 this year, when Metro Line 10 passed through Dahongmen Station, the mobile phone power bank in a passenger's bag spontaneously ignited, causing a brief smoke in the cabin. After the phenomenon, the passengers were evacuated to the platform in an emergency. According to the fire department, due to the difficulty of underground smoke extraction, there are very few escape exits and roads leading to the ground, and there are no roads and rescue points, making underground building fires a major difficulty in fire rescue.

However, in the subway station, the reporter noticed that the only item in the list of prohibited items next to the security inspection equipment is lithium metal. Subsequently, the reporter brought the power bank into the station and passed the security check, but was not blocked.

Explore the cause

Why does the power bank ignite spontaneously

It is understood that the core component of the power bank is the battery cell, and the batteries currently used in the common power bank on the market are mainly divided into two types: lithium ion and lithium polymer. Due to the very active chemical nature of lithium, it will release flammable gas when it encounters water or humid air. Short circuit or excessive current can cause heating or burning of the battery core. There are many factors for the short circuit of lithium-containing batteries, including physical damage, the temperature of the use environment, and the short circuit of the positive and negative electrodes. Once the cell shell is damaged, it will heat up and burn. What is even more frightening is that once a lithium-containing battery catches fire, conventional liquid fire extinguishers will not be used at all.

Ask

There is no industry standard to guarantee quality

In the face of many brands of power banks on the market, how can we buy reliable products? The reporter contacted the Beijing Electronic Product Quality Inspection Center. A staff member told the reporter that since mobile power (ie, power bank) is a new thing that has emerged in recent years, there is no clear industry standard to judge this. "It's not like a battery or a charger. There are already industry standards to judge whether this product is qualified or not." The staff said, so they did not comment on what kind of power bank is a qualified product.

In addition, unlike the electronic products that need to be taken out for security checks when flying through the security check, at Beijing South Railway Station and long-distance bus stations, reporters are not required to show them when they pass the security check with the power bank.