Smartphones and other electronic gadgets that use lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries and charged to 100 per cent are more likely to release toxic gases and explode than a half charged battery when the batteries overheat or explode, new research suggests.
These findings are crucial in the wake of reports on exploding phones.
A week ago, a top floor of a residential house in Kileleshwa was reduced to ashes when a power bank that was being charged exploded and set fire to the house.
Power banks use the same cells found in smartphones and have also been known to explode.
The gases from these batteries cause irritations to the skin, eyes and nasal passages.
The gases are also harmful to the environment.
The report of the study Toxicity, a Serious Concern of Thermal Runaway from Commercial Li-ion Battery, was published in the Nano Energy Journal, which publishes articles on science and engineering.