An Austin man says a battery for
his device blew up in his pocket causing severe burns. Hamid Sadeghy is a new
e-cigarette user. At the urging of his wife, he decided to quit smoking in May."I'm
a little over a pack a day smoker and in a matter of a week I went down to one
or two cigarettes a day and I was really happy," he said.
Sadeghy owns an auto glass
company. On June 30th, he was installing a windshield when he says he felt a
vibration coming from his pants pocket where he had an extra battery for his
e-cigarette.
"It was like a firecracker.
It made the same exact noise. A hissing sound and then burning sensation,"
Sadeghy said. "Once I pulled the pant down I saw a whole bunch of chemical
all down my leg. Here, the skin was burned. I pealed it off. The side of my leg
I'm sure this is the remains of the chemical on my body."He hasn't
returned to work since and has difficulty walking.
"I've really been in pain.
Simple chores, getting up to go to the bathroom or get a glass of water it's an
ordeal," said Sadeghy.
Attorney James Wood traced the
battery to learn it is lithium ion and called the VTC5. It is made by a
well-known electronics company, but is widely counterfeited. Wood believes
Sadeghy's are counterfeit."The internet shows a lot of photographs and
videos of these batteries failing causing fires and explosions with sometimes
very devastating effects," said Wood.
Thomas Kiklas, co-founder of the
Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association, tells FOX 7 a battery should
never be placed in one's pocket as coins and keys can easily cause it to short
and overheat.
Kiklas adds, "consumers
should absolutely only purchase their vaping products from reputable companies
that warranty and trace all product technology.""I think this product
was placed on the market with someone knowing it posed a danger to the
consumers who would eventually use it," said Wood.
"It happened to me already.
I'm hoping we can prevent this from happening to other people," said
Sadeghy.Wood says if distributors are found to know that a certain product is
dangerous, federal charges can be filed against them.
Source: http://www.myfoxaustin.com
No comments:
Post a Comment