YouTube user Fabio Gomes recently conducted an experiment to show people just what cell phones are made of and therefore reveal a hidden danger that most Americans have lurking inside their own pants pocket.
When it comes to cell phones, most associate the dangers of the communication device with distracted driving. Others associate cell phones with potential health risks such as cancer. Gomes, however, was aware of a different type of danger and set out to prove how dangerous cell phones can truly be.
In the short video clip, Gomez reveals a typical mobile device battery: a small lithium-ion battery. The battery is uncased but is still connected to a piece of the phone’s circuitry. Gomes takes a knife to the battery and what happens afterward is startling.
Lithium, when exposed to oxygen, produces a chemical reaction. The reaction results in an intense amount of heat byproduct. The reaction may trigger then an explosion or start a fire. One thing is for sure – No one wants to be near one of these devices should this occur.
A Google search unveils other evidence of such events happening. Photographs of charred laptop devices and phones can be seen. The majority damage to the device centers around the battery pack or the battery port to charge the device.
Gomes’ experimental video reveals the man stabbing the battery pack with a knife several times. On the third attempt, the battery sparks and explodes moments later, spewing fire in multiple directions, thus revealing the hidden danger of improperly used and overclocked batteries.