As an attendee to last month‘s annual Council on Safe Transportation of Hazardous Articles Conference (COSTHA) in Scottsdale, AZ, there were presentations focusing on the small but increasing number of battery-related hazardous materials incidents on board cargo and passenger aircraft. While not new to the HazMat community, the subject of these incidents was surprising. With extended life batteries being manufactured for personal electronics and computer use, the power cells of these new (Lithium) batteries can create substantial exposure when brought aboard aircraft in a large quantity. In two recent incidents, one on a UPS cargo jet and one in a Wal-Mart road vehicle, the battery shipments actually caught fire and required emergency services. Furthermore, while most of these batteries are imported to the US, some are coming from counterfeit battery manufacturing operations in which the internal contacts are suspect of quality connections. DOT is currently developing regulations for the safe transport of these batteries but for now, shippers should be aware of the potential dangers of storing or transporting these battery products in large quantities.
Associations DOT/UN HazMat Safety