Lithium batteries: A technological advance with unintended injury consequences

J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2018 Aug;85(2):406-409. doi: 10.1097/TA.0000000000001946.

Abstract

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries have been powering portable electronic equipment since the mid-1990s. Today, they are ubiquitous in portable electronics, with more than four billion manufactured each year. However, Li-ion batteries are also associated with a spectrum of injuries related to the type of device as well as the person using the device. These injuries range from cutaneous injuries due to flame burns and explosions to corrosion injuries from ingestion. This article describes how the composition of Li-ion batteries can cause injury, the types and extent of Li-ion battery-related injuries, and suggests strategies for prevention.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Burns / etiology*
  • Burns / prevention & control*
  • Child
  • Electric Power Supplies / adverse effects*
  • Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems
  • Equipment Safety
  • Explosions
  • Foreign Bodies / complications*
  • Foreign Bodies / mortality
  • Humans
  • Lithium Compounds / adverse effects*

Substances

  • Lithium Compounds