When the United Kingdom banned disposable e-cigarettes this summer over fears that the lithium-ion batteries that power the devices could burst into flame and harm users, authorities quickly discovered they had traded one hazard for another. Tossing millions of banned vapes into the trash created the risk of lithium-ion battery fires in garbage trucks and landfills across the country.
Just a month after the ban went into place, in fact, vapes were blamed for a pair of trash facility fires, one of which required 60 firefighters to extinguish.
“These devices contain lithium-ion batteries that can explode or catch fire if damaged or crushed,” British product safety engineer Giuseppe Capanna warned, calling the problem “a ticking time bomb that puts refuse workers and communities at serious risk.”
It’s not just a UK problem. Waste disposal officials in Germany, where disposable vapes remain legal, say they experience 30 fires every day related to lithium-ion batteries, many involving vapes. And in the United States, Nebraska’s Urbine Refuse Services Inc. saw two fires in a single week this June. “Ever since the disposable battery vapes came out, it caused a large problem for us,” Director of Organics and Sustainability Melissa Littrell told KLKN-TV. Uribe garbage truck driver Laura Rausch Anderson said the batteries can be crushed by her truck’s compactor: “If the blade hits it just right, those things do just explode.”
The Scope of the Problem
There are significant health concerns related to vaping — concerns that a new report from the UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights team explored in depth. ULSE standards today address only the batteries in vapes, not the health issues. And fires caused by lithium-ion batteries in the devices are also an important concern.
More than 2,000 people went to emergency rooms because of e-cigarette burns between 2015 and 2017, and vaping has grown substantially since then. Market research estimates that the compound annual growth rate in the vape market will be 28.1% from 2021 to 2028.
A lack of awareness of the power source in these devices makes it hard for consumers to take the right steps. According to recent UL Standards & Engagement data, more than half of e-cigarette and vape owners are unaware that their device is powered by a lithium-ion battery.
The problem is twofold. A U.S. Fire Administration report on e-cigarettes found that 66% of vape incidents ignited nearby contents and 31% occurred in users’ pockets, and noted the specific danger of the devices: “The shape and construction of electronic cigarettes can make them (more likely than other products with lithium-ion batteries) behave like ‘flaming rockets’ when a battery fails.”
Many low-cost disposable e-cigarettes are considered illegal by regulators. The Food and Drug Administration has approved only 23 e-cigarette products, but there are an estimated 11,500 unapproved electronic smoking products being sold in the United States. Many are manufactured with few safety standards, and while officials have cracked down on illegal imports, unauthorized devices continue to flood into the country. In one operation alone last year, federal authorities seized 3 million e-cigarettes worth $76 million.
By the Numbers
The vape and e-cigarette market is growing, but so are the risks associated with the lithium-ion batteries powering these devices. These batteries can explode or ignite if crushed — and can cause serious injury.
33%
Of reported vape incidents occurred in users’ pockets.
66%
Of reported vape incidents ignited nearby contents.
Incidents Happening Everywhere from Trash Trucks to Airplanes
Most users don’t know disposable e-cigarettes are considered hazardous waste by the Environmental Protection Agency, both because of their batteries and because they contain toxic nicotine. The EPA says they should be taken to a hazardous waste collection center rather than tossed in the trash or even recycled.
Disposal isn’t the only issue. Vapes can catch fire even at home. This April, a Virginia Beach man needed skin grafts and spent two weeks in the hospital after a vape exploded in his pants pocket, resulting in second- and third-degree burns.
With back-to-school season approaching, many students will be carrying vapes, creating risks for incidents in classrooms. Even though they’re legally too young to vape, the Centers for Disease Control estimates 1.2 million high school students (7.8%) and an alarming 410,000 middle schoolers (3.5%) use e-cigarettes. And with students knowing the devices are forbidden, they are likely to keep them hidden in backpacks or, worse yet, school lockers – where a fire could quickly spread before being discovered.
The threat is serious enough that schools from Florida to Washington state are installing vape-detection devices under a $1.7 billion legal settlement with e-cigarette maker Juul, which was sued for allegedly targeting underage smokers. While the focus is on underage smoking, not fire, one Massachusetts district invested nearly $60,000 to install them.
If you’ve flown recently, you’ve no doubt heard explicit warnings about vape devices, and with good reason. Last September, 236 passengers had to evacuate an EasyJet plane in Greece when a vape exploded in a carry-on bag and filled the cabin with dark smoke. Everyone escaped safely, but the ending could have been very different after takeoff.
A recent ULSE report shows thermal-runaway incidents involving lithium-ion batteries are reported twice every week by airlines. Notably, vapes and e-cigarettes are the leading culprit, responsible for 28% of incidents, even though only 10% of people travel with them. With vaping banned on board, many are stashed in overhead bins or even checked luggage.
A Safer Way Forward
While regulators focus mostly on the health issues of e-cigarettes, ULSE is concerned about the safety of their batteries. UL 8139 was developed to address the safety of vape batteries, chargers and protection circuits, and calls for safety controls that reduce the risk of electric shock and fire. The standard also requires an on-off switch to prevent the vaping device from being accidentally activated. UL 8139 addresses what the U.S. Fire Administration identifies as a unique hazard: “No other consumer product places a battery with a known explosion hazard such as this in such close proximity to the human body.”
Most FDA-approved e-cigarettes meet the standard and the agency says it has “significantly reduced risk” of battery fires, but even a high-quality vape can catch fire if damaged. And others could be a disaster waiting to happen.
Incorporating safety standards into products, specifically the batteries that power e-cigarettes and vapes, will reduce the risk of these incidents and promote greater safety.