An Exploding Vape Pen Has Killed A Man In Florida
A US man has died when his vape pen exploded and fired fragments into his head. According to reports, the 38-year-old also suffered post-death burns on 80 percent of his body in a fire caused by the blast, which occurred at a family home in St Petersburg, Florida.
Although this is thought to be the first time anyone in the US has died from a vape pen explosion, it isn’t the first time vape pens have exploded, causing injury.
Back in 2016, for example, an e-cigarette exploded in the pocket of a person working at a wine store in New York City. He suffered from third-degree burns, and was expected to have had surgery at the time.
There have been several other incidences where the explosion has happened while the device is in the mouths of those vaping; the resulting bang appears to have caused them not only to suffer extreme burns, but the loss of multiple teeth. In one case, someone’s neck was broken.
According to the US Fire Administration (USFA), between January 2009 and the end of 2016, 195 incidences of explosion and fire involving e-cigarettes were reported in the US media, with 29 percent of them being severe. As these were the only ones reported, however, the real number is likely to be higher and to increase over time as adoption of the devices rises.
This latest incident isn’t the start of a Galaxy Note 7-style firestorm sweeping the pockets and bags of various people all over the world. Saying that, these explosions are life-threatening, so must be taken seriously – so what’s the deal?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haqi4xvjvKo]
As explained over at WIRED, the antagonizing factor here is likely to be the lithium-ion batteries, which have exploded in plenty of devices over the last couple of decades. In vape pens, these batteries are used to heat an aerosol shell that’s used to create the vapor.