Saturday, January 24, 2015

FAA WARNS E-CIGARETTES A FIRE DANGER IN CHECKED AIRLINE BAGGAGE



FAA WARNS E-CIGARETTES A FIRE DANGER IN CHECKED AIRLINE BAGGAGE

 
 

The Federal Aviation Administration is now advising airlines to consider the potential fire risk from e-cigarettes. 

January 24, 2015

Airline passengers should add electronic cigarettes to the list of items that can’t be stored in their checked luggage.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which already bans flammables and explosives in checked baggage, is now advising airlines to consider the potential fire risk from e-cigarettes. While the safety alert issued Friday is voluntary and nonbinding, typically most airlines follow such guidance.

E-cigarettes, which often use lithium batteries to heat liquid nicotine into an inhaled vapor, may still be brought aboard flights in carry-on luggage.

The FAA reported two fires started by e-cigarettes in luggage since August, including a bag that burst into flames in a baggage area at Los Angeles International Airport on Jan. 4.
“These incidents and several others occurring outside of air transportation have shown that e-cigarettes can overheat and cause fires when the heating element is accidentally activated or left on,” the agency said in the alert.

The issue is similar to the FAA’s concern that lithium batteries may catch fire. The FAA has logged at least 47 instances of fires or overheating batteries aboard passenger and cargo carriers around the world since 2009. Of those, at least 39 began in a lithium battery, according to the FAA.

The FAA action follows a Dec. 10 warning on e-cigarettes by the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization. Several incidents have been reported and the ICAO Dangerous Goods Panel is considering possible action, according to its warning.
The FAA reported two fires started by e-cigarettes in luggage since August.

The FAA advisory, known as a Safety Alert for Operators, is the latest to link lithium-based batteries to fires and overheating on aircraft, and comes as the e-cigarette market has grown to a $3 billion industry.

E-cigarettes are a relatively new trend, ballooning from one manufacturer in 2005 to more than 460 brands by 2013, according to the World Health Organization. Large tobacco companies have begun to embrace the niche product, which has been marketed as a safer and more tolerable way to smoke.

The United States and European Union are the biggest markets.
The safety alert, while voluntary, can be issued faster than if the FAA opted to issue new regulations. Most airlines, which are heavily regulated by the FAA for safety, follow such guidance.

Smoking traditional cigarettes on flights isn’t allowed in the United States. The Department of Transportation in 2011 proposed also banning e-cigarettes. The final rule is scheduled to be released on April 30, according to the agency’s calendar of rulemaking.
Airlines already can and do prohibit them.