The possible hazards of using lithium batteries at home mainly include the following aspects:
Safety Hazards:
Overheating, short circuit, explosion:
During the charging, discharging and use of lithium batteries, if they are not operated properly or encounter quality problems, they may overheat, short circuit or even explode. According to Reference Article 1, the causes of lithium battery explosions may include thermal runaway, damaged or heavy damage to the package, voltage and current exceeding specified values, and quality problems.
Fire risk: Once the lithium battery explodes, it may not only produce an open flame, but also release a large amount of toxic gases instantaneously, causing fire and personal injury.
Charger problem: If a low-quality charger is used, it may cause the voltage during the charging process to be too high, causing potential safety hazards such as battery heating and explosion (refer to Article 2).
Environmental pollution
Heavy metal pollution: Lithium batteries contain heavy metals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and electrolyte solutions, which, if not properly treated, can leach into soil and water sources, causing long-term effects on ecosystems (see Article 4).
Emission of harmful substances: The production process of lithium batteries requires the consumption of a large number of chemicals, such as lithium salts, solvents, electrolytes, etc., which may produce toxic waste gases, waste water and waste residues during use, causing pollution to the environment (refer to Article 5).
Human Health Impacts
Heavy metals enter the human body: Heavy metals in batteries, such as mercury, cadmium, lead, etc., can contaminate soil and water sources and enter the human body through the food chain, causing damage to the nervous system, digestive system, and hematopoietic system (see Article 3).
Toxic gas release: Lithium batteries will release toxic gases during the incineration process, which will exacerbate air pollution and pose a threat to human health.
In order to reduce the potential hazards posed by lithium batteries, the following measures are recommended:
Use a charger and charging cable that meet safety standards to avoid overcharging or over-discharging (refer to Article 4).
Waste lithium batteries are collected separately and sent to designated recycling points or handed over to relevant units for centralized recycling (refer to Article 3).
Raise people’s awareness of the safe use and proper disposal of lithium batteries, and strengthen publicity and education on the environmentally friendly treatment of lithium batteries (refer to Article 4).
To sum up, the possible hazards caused by the use of lithium batteries at home mainly include potential safety hazards, environmental pollution and human health impacts. Therefore, when using lithium batteries, we need to strictly abide by relevant safety regulations to ensure the safety of ourselves and our families, while paying attention to environmental protection.