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This article appeared in the Albuquerque Journal this morning. I was
not aware that large shipments of lithium batteries could still be
just under my seat on my next flight. We all know what havoc a
single 10S pack can do if it catches fire. I find it hard to believe
that an airliner could survive a palletfull going up. It's no
surprise that the fire suppressant they used had no effect.<br>
There is a proposed rule going into effect the first of the year
that is supposed to eliminate commercial shipments from passenger
airliners- if it isn't blocked or postponed. I wonder what the
checkin counter response would be to a question of whether there is
a shipment of lipos on board? Think they could even find out that
information?<br>
<br>
John Gayer<br>
<br>
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font-variant: normal; font-stretch: normal; line-height:
1.067em; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Shipments
of lithium-ion units raise concerns over fires, blasts</h2>
<p static="true" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-size:
12px; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 1.8em;">WASHINGTON —
Dramatic U.S. government test results raise new concern that
bulk shipments of rechargeable lithium batteries carried as
cargo on passenger planes are susceptible to fires or explosions
that could destroy the airliners.</p>
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0px 1em; font-weight: bold;">This video frame grab shows a
test of a cargo container packed with 5,000 lithium-ion
batteries and a cartrid</span></em></a></span><span
class="art-imagetext" style="display: block; padding: 0px 0px
0.5em; border-bottom-width: 0.1em; border-bottom-style: dashed;
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font-weight: bold;">This video frame grab shows a test of a
cargo container packed with 5,000 lithium-ion batteries and a
cartridge heater that resulted in a fire and explosion.</span>
<p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-weight:
normal; text-indent: 1.8em;">Yet U.S. and international
officials have been slow to adopt safety restrictions that might
affect the powerful industries that depend on the batteries and
the airlines that profit from shipping them. The batteries are
used in products ranging from cellphones and laptops to hybrid
cars.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-weight:
normal; text-indent: 1.8em;">Shipments of rechargeable batteries
on passenger planes are supposed to be limited to no more than a
handful in a single box, under safety standards set by the
U.N.’s International Civil Aviation Organization and adopted by
the U.S. and other nations. But a loophole permits shippers to
pack many small boxes into one shipment and get around the
rules. Tens of thousands of the batteries may be packed into
pallets or containers and loaded into the cargo holds of
wide-body passenger planes.</p>
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<p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-weight:
normal; text-indent: 1.8em;">In an April test by the Federal
Aviation Administration, a cargo container was packed with 5,000
lithium-ion batteries and a cartridge heater added to simulate a
single battery experiencing uncontrolled overheating. The heat
from the cartridge triggered escalating overheating in nearby
batteries, which spread in a chain reaction. Temperatures
reached about 1,100 degrees.</p>
<p style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-weight:
normal; text-indent: 1.8em;">Once about 300 batteries had become
involved, a fierce explosion blew open the container door and
sent boxes flying, catching FAA and industry observers by
surprise. Within seconds, the cargo container was in flames. The
explosion came from a buildup of flammable gases. A second test
in September produced similar results, despite the addition of a
fire suppression agent.</p>
<p static="true" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-size:
12px; font-weight: normal; text-indent: 1.8em;">The U.N.’s civil
aviation agency is considering a series of proposals to
strengthen packaging, labeling and handling standards for
lithium-ion battery shipments, and airline pilot unions are
pushing for limits on the number of batteries that can be
transported.</p>
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