The case of IHM, a nine-year-old boy who was found dead at his home with burns to his chest, has caught the public's attention. He is thought to have died when the cell phone he was using exploded.
The unfortunate incident experienced by the boy from Kiarapayung Village, Rancah District, Ciamis Regency, West Java, shocked the community. The incident occurred on Wednesday (3/8/2022).
There is something that needs to be straightened out regarding the news of a child who died because a cell phone exploded. The cell phone that has the potential to hurt is the battery and currently the most widely used battery is lithium battery, either lithium ion or lithium polymer.
Lithium batteries if plugged, bloated or dropped will cause an internal reaction and catch fire causing a dangerous chemical fire and can result in very serious burns.
But will a sleeping child not wake up even if his body is on fire and an exploding lithium battery can cause instant death?
There have been several cases of deaths due to lithium batteries exploding and resulting in deaths such as e-cigarette batteries exploding and the debris injuring the arteries. But this does not happen instantly.
Exploding lithium batteries are actually more accurately said to be on fire and not explode like explosives or exploding gas cylinders because the impression is very scary.
In the case of the Ciamis boy who died because his cell phone exploded, it should be investigated further by the authorities what was the real cause of the child's death. Is it true that the battery exploded and there were splinters that hurt the arteries or there was another reason where when they got burned, the child would react and not stand still.
One possibility that needs to be taken into account is the problematic cellphone charger where the cellphone is plugged into the charger and if it leaks or shorts it can send an electric current that can paralyze humans so that they are powerless and remain silent even though their chest is on fire.
I suggest related parties such as representatives of the relevant mobile phone brand (Samsung), PLN and other related parties to step in to check and confirm the cause of this boy's death and provide clear information to the public so that they do not experience inappropriate fears but remain vigilant with batteries and electric currents. .
For information, the widespread use of lithium ion and lithium polymer batteries deserves attention. In addition to cell phones, this type of battery is also used in e-cigarettes, and electric scooter batteries, which are much larger and dangerous than cell phone batteries.
Hopefully this can be straightened out and the public can get a good enlightenment on the threat of batteries and how to deal with them properly