Airlines Take Lithium-Ion Batteries Seriously

On May 20, a United Airlines flight enroute from Zurich to Chicago, with 157 passengers on board, got diverted to Ireland after a laptop became stuck in a business-class seat. Crew members tried to extract it, but to no avail. They did not want to risk damaging it.

The logic was that catastrophe could ensue should the computer ignite while it was inaccessible and the plane was flying over the Atlantic - like an inadvertent improvised explosive device.

The airline preferred a 27-hour delay to the risk of a damaged lithium battery. Power laptops and other electronic devices pose a significant risk if damaged, as they can overheat and catch fire. Between March 2006 and April 2024, there have been 530 verified incidents involving lithium batteries causing smoke, fire or extreme heat, according to the FAA.

While no such battery has been implicated in any boat fire yet, an underwater light accidentally dropped on a hard surface, damaging the internal membrane of its battery, could cause a disaster later.

Isn't it time we started taking lithium-ion batteries in diving equipment equally seriously?

A Personal Experience of a Li-ion Battery Fire

In 2012, while working as Technical Editor to Diver Magazine, I took a new-to-market Chinese-made underwater light diving in Cyprus, with a view to reviewing it. It was exceptionally bright (10,000 lumens) and had a fearsomely large lithium-ion battery.

While underwater, I felt the body of the light getting hot - too hot to handle - and the plastic body started to swell. I dangled it from its lanyard while making the mistake of surfacing and climbing on to shore. By this time the plastic body had melted and split, and the fire was visible. My buddy and I then buried it under a pile of rocks to prevent the fire from spreading.

I can only think that it had leaked seawater or that the battery membrane had been damaged by harsh handling, allowing an internal short-circuit. (Li-ion batteries consist of largely four main components: cathode, anode, electrolyte, and separating membrane.) I panned it in my published review and the brand disappeared from the market.

- John Bantin