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.