Exploding Cell Phone Batteries

Government officials in Guangdong China are claiming that Motorola and Nokia mobile phone batteries explode under certain conditions, The New York Times, Bloomberg and the Chicago Tribune reported.

he news adds a turn to the ongoing investigation of the June 19 death of Xiao Jinpeng, a 22-year-old welder who died after the battery in his handset apparently exploded. However, neither Motorola or provincial law enforcement has confirmed that the phone, reported as made by Illinois-based Motorola, was actually a company-branded handset. Details of Xiao’s death were first published July 4 by the Lanzhou Morning Post, which in turn quoted the state-run Xinhua News Agency.

A Motorola spokesman downplayed the phone connection. “Preliminary evidence suggests it is highly unlikely that a cell phone caused this accident,” Yang Boning, a Beijing press officer for Motorola, told the Morning Post. “We are working with the Chinese authorities to determine and investigate the root cause.”

Hmm maybe we shouldn’t keep our Motorola or Nokia batteries in our pants pockets for the time being.

[China claims Motorola, Nokia batteries explode]