Lithium battery by air debate - when it is safe?

The transport by air of
lithium batteries has been
much in the news lately.
According to David
Alexander, GM of Avsec (the
aviation security division of
Professional Risk & Asset
Management), this has varied
from air carriers banning the
transport of “hoverboards”*,
to the latest news that the
Federal Aviation Authority
(FAA) in the US is lobbying
the International Civil
Aviation Organisation
(Icao) for a total ban on the
transport of lithium batteries
on passenger aircraft.
“Imagine that you are
on an aircraft at 36 000
feet,” he said, “and a lithium
battery fire breaks out in the
hold. A fire that cannot be
extinguished by any current
aircraft fire suppression
system; a fire that provides
its own oxygen; a fire that
burns at 2 000 degrees
centigrade, and will continue
to burn until it consumes
all combustible material
including the aircraft and…..
you.
“Far-fetched? No. Unlikely?
Possibly, but we are not in the
business of taking chances
with people’s lives.”
All that being said, lithium
batteries are perfectly safe
to carry provided that they
have been United Nations
(UN) certified as safe
for transport; have been
manufactured by a reputable
supplier; have been packed
according to International Air
Transport Association (Iata)
standards; and have not been
mishandled, in Alexander's
view.
“Batteries contained in
equipment (cell phones for
example) or packed with
equipment (your new laptop)
are perfectly safe.”
And a lot has been
happening on the safety front.
For example, The
Loadstar.co.uk reported
the following: “The US
National Transportation
Safety Board (NTSB) issued
two recommendations this
week to the Department of
Transport. It recommended
that lithium batteries be
physically separated from
other flammable hazardous
materials stowed on aircraft,
and also that maximum
loading density requirements
be set, which would limit the
quantities of lithium batteries
and flammable hazardous
materials on board.”
Also, Iata
issued new
packing and
handling
guidelines as
an amendment to the 57th
edition of the Dangerous
Goods Regulations on
January 19. These contain
numerous changes to the way
that lithium batteries must be
packed as well as restrictions
by individual air carriers.
The Icao has also
recommended that all
lithium ion batteries be
banned from carriage on
passenger aircraft until
safe packaging has been
developed.
“We cannot live without
lithium batteries,” Alexander
said, “so the debate is of
critical concern to all of us,
quite apart from the business
concerns.
“We suggest that you
obtain specialist advice
on your lithium battery
shipment process and system
to ensure that you stay ahead
of developments.”
* Most major airlines
have banned the hoverboard
because of safety concerns
regarding their electrical
systems.
The hands-free
hoverboards, which
resemble Michael J Fox’s
iconic transport in the
film Back to the Future,
are powered by lithium
batteries, which have long
been a concern for airlines.