Mobile Phone Blast while Charging - Facts Analysis

Story:

Please read this it is important!

Read This!!!! Important From The University Of Miami Hospital…..Very Serious Warning…
I do this all the time! I guess I won’t be doing it ANY more !
A few days ago, a person was recharging his mobile phone at home. Just at that time a call came in and he answered it with the charging Instrument still connected to the outlet. After a few seconds electricity flowed into the cell phone unrestrained and the young man was thrown to the floor with a heavy thud. As you can see, the phone actually exploded. His parents rushed to the room only to find him unconscious, with a weak heartbeat and burnt fingers. He was rushed to the nearby hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival. Cell phones are a very useful modern invention. However, we must be aware that it can also be an instrument of death.

Never use the cell phone while it is hooked to the electrical outlet! If you are charging the cell phone and a call comes in, unplug it from the charger and outlet.

FORWARD THIS TO THE PEOPLE THAT MATTER IN YOUR LIFE!

Other Versions

PLS. SHARE THIS TO ALL RELATIVES & FRIENDS!!!

Today another boy died because of attending a call while his mobile was still charging. That time he had a sudden vibration to his heart and then his hands got burned.

So please don’t answer calls or call out while charging your cell phone. When the phone’s battery is low to the last bar don’t make a call or answer any incoming calls because the radiation is 1000 times stronger. This can happen to any brand of mobile phones out there.

Please pass this info to all whom you care and don’t forget to share this to your love ones for their own safety.

Analysis:

The message, claiming to be from the University of Miami hospital says that it is very dangerous to answer a mobile phone call while it is charging, quoting one such incident of electrocution as the mobile phone exploded and one person dead as a result. The message is a mixture of hoax and facts.

It is a fact that mobile phones when answered while charging can ‘sometimes’ lead to electrocution of the person and other fire and explosion hazards, but it is important to note that such accidents happen rarely and that too because of faulty mobile phone manufaturing, battery problem and low quality chargers. The above message most probably refers to a death incident in 2004, when K. Viswajith, an Indian, aged 31, was electrocuted while using his mobile phone instrument in Chavara, near Kollam. Post this incident, the warning message has been circulating in various forms, but it is important to note that the message is NOT from the University of Miami hospital. Of course, there have been quite a few cell phone explosion accidents reported over the years, while charging, not all of which have happened only while talking, it can happen inside your pockets, and also when they come in contact with high-voltage. The key factor here is the quality of mobile phone, batteries and chargers used. Investigations in the past have proved that most of these accidents reported have happened because of third party and low quality batteries that are not manufactured as per safety guidelines.

The conclusion is that the above warning is an exaggerated one, the standard phones are safe to use while charging. But as a matter of safety, it is also important to follow some precautions.

Never use fake batteries.
Do not use fake mobile chargers.
Make sure the Battery and charger are of the same brand as mobile phone.
Don’t talk on phone while charging.
Don’t charge a wet phone.
Replace damaged battery immediately.
Don’t tamper with the battery or bring it into contact with other metal objects outside the phone.
Plug off as soon as mobile is fully charged.
Don’t let you battery overheat.
Do not place your mobile phone in very hot areas, like a cooking surface, cooking appliance, iron, or radiator.
Follow the instructions of manufacturer for battery usage, storage, and recharging.

Update: 03 Feb 2014

In early Jan 2014, another incident started circulating online. The claim is that another boy died because his mobile phone exploded when he was talking on it while charging. Further, the message also warns users not to make any call or answer their mobile phone when the battery is low to the last bar. This they say is dangerous because the radiation from mobile phone in such cases will be 1000 times stronger. Let’s analyze these claims.

Picture: Micromax Canvas 2.2 Smartphone exploded in India — Micromax Canvas 2.2 Smartphone exploded in India

The picture (shown above) that comes with the story does show a real incident when a Micromax Canvas 2.2 Smartphone exploded in India, and the victim was injured – not dead though. As reported by GadgetsToUse.com:

We have just confirmed from the Victim that the phone was on charging with the original Micromax charger, He was talking on the phone and after some voltage fluctuation in current from power port, this happened and phone busted in his hands and caused injuries to his hand and face.

As explained in our article above, the sole reason for such incidents is not using a mobile phone while charging. Such accidents of electrocution can occur in case of low quality mobile phones, batteries and chargers that are not manufactured as per safety guidelines. Nonetheless, as a matter of safety, mobile users are advised to follow the aforementioned precautions.

Radiation from a Low Battery Mobile Phone

The claim that radiation from a mobile phone will be 1000 times stronger when its battery is low to the last bar is a hoax that perhaps surfaced from a misinterpretation. The radiation level from a mobile phone does not really depend on the charging levels of the battery. Radiation from a phone would be stronger when the reception is extremely weak, i.e. the weaker the signal of the cell phone is, the more intense the radiation will be. May be the claim is a misinterpreted version of this particular fact, mixing up “one bar of battery power” with “one bar of signal”.

From a related article on CNN:

A weak signal will also cause your phone to work harder, giving off more radiation.

And from a related article on WHO:

Using the phone in areas of good reception also decreases exposure as it allows the phone to transmit at reduced power.

They are conclusive of the fact that there is no direct causal link between handset battery charge level and handset transmit power level. The radiation of mobile phone depends on the phone design and the network technology, and varies with the signal intensity of the cell phone, which is controlled by the base stations that constantly receive signals from cell phones. Therefore the basic claims in the story are misleading and sharing them can be counterproductive. Having said that, it is better to follow the precautionary measures mentioned above.