.jpg)
In Touch with Tennessee
In Touch with Tennessee
Powering Safely: Understanding Lithium Battery Risks
They're in your pocket, on your wrist, powering your car, and hiding in dozens of devices throughout your home and workplace. Lithium-ion batteries have silently revolutionized modern life, but their convenience masks significant danger that most people remain completely unaware of.
In this eye-opening discussion, safety experts from across the University of Tennessee system reveal why these energy-dense power sources demand our attention and respect.
Lithium-ion batteries supply power to many of the devices we depend on, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, e-bikes, smoke alarms and even cars. However, if they are damaged or aren't used or disposed of correctly, they can catch on fire or explode. These batteries store a large amount of energy in a small amount of space and can be dangerous if not used in the right way. Hi and welcome to In Touch with Tennessee, a podcast of the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service. Joining us today to talk about proper handling and disposal of lithium batteries are Erin Gillespie, health and Safety Consultant with our Center for Industrial Services, or CIS, janet Rowe, director of Environment, health, safety and Emergency Management at UT Medical Center. And Kim Rea, environmental Management Consultant with our County Technical Assistance Service, or CTAS. Thank you all for joining us today. Thank you, susan.
Speaker 2:Yes, thank you.
Speaker 1:So this question is for all of you Talk to us about lithium batteries. You know what we need to know about them, how people can dispose of them correctly, and so on. Kim, why don't you start?
Speaker 3:Sure, susan, thanks for bringing this topic up. It's definitely one that is hitting the forefront of the work we're doing in solid waste management. Lithium batteries are showing up with more and more frequency in our waste stream and, as you mentioned, they are commonly found in household items and everything from cell phones and small electronics to e-bikes and even vaping apparatus. In my role with CTAS, we work with the counties and their solid waste management operations. Most often, the counties are working with what we call residential waste streams, meaning waste that is not hazardous nor derived from industrial or medical sources. The counties are not permitted meaning regulated battery recyclers, and they are not really even required to collect lithium batteries and a lot do not. But since the batteries are coming from residential sources, they are posing a unique problem in that we are creating a household hazardous waste, if you will.
Speaker 3:So if these lithium batteries are not isolated from the regular waste or even recycling waste streams, and if they're not handled properly, they are definitely ignitable, and we're seeing more and more fires in collection systems throughout the state and the nation. So we're going to add to this the confusion over identifying a wide range of types of batteries. So we've long been told our folks that it's acceptable to place non-rechargeable alkaline batteries in regular garbage, though I actually look for ways to recycle these as well. You can do that. And then we've also collected lead acid batteries, like car batteries and things, and lawnmower batteries and things of that source. So identifying what type of battery and the associated hazard and the methodology for recycling it has a learning curve for our solid waste handlers, but also for the general public.
Speaker 1:Okay. Well, Erin or Janet, do you want to add anything about lithium batteries?
Speaker 2:Yes, susan, I think Kim brought up some really good points there and about really us. We don't know there's a lot about lithium ions and batteries in the stream and how that's going to work from cradle to grave when we start thinking about anything that has hazardous material aspect to it. We love these batteries. They have a fast charge time. They have a long discharge time so we can take them and I like to talk about as a kid I'd have RC cars and I would charge them for 8, 10, or 12 hours and I would get to play with it for 15 minutes. It's not the case anymore. It's a great technology. It's very energy dense, but it's also not batteries as we think of them in a traditional sense. You think about older technology, rechargeable batteries like the lead acid battery or primary batteries that are double A battery that we throw in, things that are single use. We think about those. They're batteries and they go together. We make the voltage and the amps that we need to. By the way, we put those together Not dissimilar with these battery packs, but with lithium ion batteries, we've got to think about cells and then those grow into modules and packs and racks and potentially energy storage systems.
Speaker 2:So that's what they are. They are a system, more so than what we dealt with traditionally, and Professor Emeritus Paul Christensen with Newcastle University talks about them. He really does a lot of research into these battery systems and he mentions the fact they are thermodynamically unstable and realistically they probably shouldn't exist. We've done a lot of things with them to make them safe, but they need to have that battery management system. It's not just the cell, it's a full system for them to be effective and as safe as possible. But there's a lot of positives Again. They're energy dense, long life cycles on these systems, so there's a lot of pros. We just have to think about the cons and manage those appropriately.
Speaker 1:Okay about the cons and manage those appropriately, okay.
Speaker 4:And the only thing I have to add to that I agree with both of the other folks. I mean, these are prevalent throughout residential as well as commercial entities and most people don't realize the hazards because of the benefits that many of these have, that I think a lot of people just aren't aware of the level of hazard that is posed by using these.
Speaker 1:Okay, and again, this is a question for all three of you, can you give us some safety tips? I mean, how do we? We all have these batteries. They power many of the things we depend on. So what are some safety tips in dealing with them and in disposing of them?
Speaker 2:Susan, I can jump in a little bit on some of the just general safety. So where you really start seeing, or more likely to see, issues with these batteries it's when they're damaged. So that could be physical damage, thermal damage, so heat insult, if they're overcharged, if they're over discharged or through abuse of them, they have informed internal short circuits. So that's sort of where we'll see the failures of them. So there's things that we can do to try and avoid those. So we all have a bad habit of we've got our battery power device where we are a mobile culture now, so we're taking a lot of technology with us and sometimes we can't take that where we're going to. So we may need to leave you know I may need to leave my XYZ device in the vehicle when I get there. Cars get hot, especially this time of year. You know we're recording this what in early August? So you think about the temperatures inside of cars when they sit there. That's a thermal insult to these cells. So you think about the temperatures inside of cars when they sit there. That's a thermal insult to these cells. So think about that. Do I need to take this device with me? Can I store it? Maybe not in the compartment of the vehicle, but can I put it in the trunk, where it doesn't get as hot, or underneath the seat, somewhere that if I have to have it there's no other option that I have that it's not getting as hot as it would? In that vehicle You're charging the devices. Charge it on a hard surface. Don't have it under your pillow, your phone under your pillow as you're charging it at night, because it's going to build up heat and try and do that while you're present with them. So if you see any kind of signs that you're starting to see a failure, it could be something as simple, as you're starting to see that device have some swelling. Maybe we hear some hissing and some popping noises, odd smells, maybe even smoke, but we can act with those um and and get them out of the home or the area that we're in and put them in a safe area if they are to experience a failure. Thinking about larger devices, we go, we have some courses and we talk about this, but we show some examples. But what's called micromobility devices think the e-scooters, e-bikes, items like that where do you charge them? Can you charge them outside of the structure, somewhere away from the home where you can keep them safe, yes, but they're not in the home where you have to worry about those and making sure that we don't store these devices or charge these devices between us and the exit, if something was to happen.
Speaker 2:Using approved chargers, we have a lot of technology. Let's be honest. These battery packs, these, these cells, they're not cheap. If you have electronic equipment and you're you're putting a battery, you're having to replace a battery. It's not cheap. So there's temptation to go to one of those sites and get something direct from china or whatever that may not necessarily be designed by that manufacturer to go with that device. And you know, I talked about these being systems and so systems are designed to work together and so if we have somebody coming in and providing that third party that off-brand, it may not work as the system's design. So those protections that are in place with that system may not be there if we get that third party device. So spend a little bit extra money to get the proper battery pack, the proper charger to utilize with those devices.
Speaker 1:So, janet, what are some of the issues that a large organization such as UT Medical Center are seeing with lithium batteries these days?
Speaker 4:Yeah. So, Susan, I guess the biggest issue is basically these are everywhere. They run our medical equipment, they're in our IT racks or cabinets, your maintenance equipment, especially your rechargeable tools and flashlights, that kind of thing. So you look around and you don't realize how many pieces of equipment and things in here utilize these lithium batteries. Then you look at what your staff, patients or visitors may bring in. You've got your EVs, which are in your parking garages, their cell phones, their laptops.
Speaker 4:Vape pens are an issue for us. All these lead to inappropriate disposal. We've found an e-bike battery that was left in a trash can in a residence quarters. I guess it didn't work anymore, so he thought that was a great place to put it, he or she. You know we security will at times confiscate vape pens from patients and visitors If they're using them in the facility. We've got them now, bringing them to us for appropriate disposal because they were going in the trash. And vape pens are a dual hazard with the nicotine as well. So you've got a hazardous waste as well as a lithium battery. And then you know, your insurance companies have pretty much banned, at least for us, putting charging stations in our garages, and so we have had a couple instances where we've had an EV being charged with an extension cord that we've walked upon when we're doing inspection. So it's kind of a never ending you don't know what you're going to come upon. That's going to cause an issue that day.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow, ok. You don't know what you're going to come upon that's going to cause an issue that day. Oh, wow, okay. So what safety precautions are you all taking?
Speaker 4:I mean that must be challenging with so many people entering and leaving the facility daily. One of the first things that we did and I took a class that was offered several months ago. It was an eight hour class, which was eye opening for us and we changed a lot of our practices after that point. But we, number one, changed our battery recycling vendor to somebody who I felt was a little more reputable. Maybe We've been educating those departments who utilize a lot of the lithium batteries, such as our biomedical engineering department, facilities, maintenance and it. Um, we will be rolling out a housewide education during the nfpa fire prevention week because their topic this year is lithium batteries. Okay, um. And then, after two incidents that we experienced, we've upgraded our in-house training that we were already doing and we're also bringing in UTCIS to do a focus training for biomedical engineering, maintenance, it and security folks.
Speaker 4:So, as I said, after the incidents, we had a couple of incidents within two weeks. In a two-week time frame I had a rechargeable flashlight battery which exploded in a maintenance worker's pants pocket which ended up generating second-degree burns to his legs and his hand. And then we also had some computer laptop batteries that were improperly collected in a cardboard box without taping the terminals. So when they picked up the box to move the box, the terminals made contact, sparked and caught the box on fire, which set off the fire alarm, which is a huge deal in a hospital, as you can imagine Smoked up that hallway and the fire department responded, and any time we have a fire with a fire department response, that becomes a state-reportable issue for me. So, needless to say, we had some corrective actions out of that one and again, the improvements in the training Wow.
Speaker 1:So yeah, the safety precautions just keep advancing then, I guess, as our technology advances. So, kim, what are communities seeing with the disposal of items? I know you mentioned fires at landfills. What are some of the other issues they're seeing?
Speaker 3:Well, and you know I was struck by the conversations we were just having about the hospital too, about, you know how there is a systematic approach at that level to start to look at their across all of their operations and to see how that the lithium batteries and other you know things of this nature impact their programs. And when you start to move back to our homes, you know it gets a little. It's it's not a regulated environment, right so it? You know we, we have the, the. We as citizens have a whole lot of responsibility here to, to, to do the right thing, and we as consultants and public service folks, have a lot of responsibility to educate the public on on what, what types of hazards these, these new, new, very ubiquitous items are that we're finding in our homes. And you know they have components that are very valuable. You know lithium and cadmium and all these things that are considered critical to our infrastructure. They really should be recycled from that perspective as well. They really should be recycled from that perspective as well. So you know to throw them in the garbage is not only a hazard, it's also a wasteful process, given that they have, you know, the potential to be recycled and used again in another form. The local governments at this point, I think, are starting what will be a long and probably arduous task of educating the public on these hazards, and this is not going to be easy and there's not any additional funding available to do this. I think, where possible, the best answer is probably for residents to use take-back programs Things like Lowe's and Home Depot, battery Plus, best Buy and to get these items back to a vendor who then bears the cost of recycling or maybe the reimbursement for returning these in, because again, they have value.
Speaker 3:Um, I don't know that everyone's inclined to do that. I'm sure they're not, because we're seeing, you know, a lot of uh fires, not just at the landfills but at the convenience centers, you know, in the waste bin, in the garbage trucks, at the transfer stations, all throughout the whole system, at the recycling facilities as well, so it's not just at the end of the line. These can happen at any point. These, you know, the batteries come in in contact with flammable materials too, so they're not isolated, they're in flammable material. So we have the hazard, we have the capacity to recycle if we just do it. But we have a group of non-regulated homes throughout our country that don't really have to do the right thing here. So we do have a problem. And then we have rural areas where you know you really don't have a big box recycler like Home Depot or something like that, so that makes it even more of an inconvenient recycling. You know effort.
Speaker 3:So what we would suggest is first, if you don't have an option to a take-back program, call your solid waste program or check their website. And another option are two websites that are very handy. One is called Call to recycle, two is in the number two and the other is earth 9-1-1, and both of these are very comprehensive sites. You put your zip code in and it will tell you where to take just about anything that you're you're wondering about. So so I think they keep up in a way that is worth their you know weight in gold in terms of helping people who want to do this to do the right thing. The third option is to watch for what we call household hazardous waste days. Sometimes these events also sponsor a battery recycling option, but that's a new material in the waste stream, so sometimes they're not handling those two. So you have some resources locally, but it's taking an extra step from our residents and citizens to do this. So that is always problematic when you don't make waste disposal convenient.
Speaker 1:Okay, and what is CTAS? Are you all providing services to assist communities in dealing with the disposal and the safety?
Speaker 3:of the lithium-ion batteries? Oh, indeed. Well, for starters, we're offering a training with our partner, cis, this fall for our solid waste directors and their staff, so we're going to at least make sure that they are aware of all the resources they have and their staff is trained to look for potential problems. We also consolidate resources on the state rules and requirements and have those in hand to assist our public works directors and solid waste directors in knowing their responsibilities for handling these waste streams. You know this is what we're calling an emerging topic, so we're committed to keeping up with the available resources and making those available to our communities.
Speaker 1:Okay, erin, you know, like Kim mentioned, they're partnering with you all on a course coming up for solid waste directors. But I understand CIS offers training courses on the safe handling of these batteries and appropriate emergency response procedures. Can you talk to us about these courses?
Speaker 2:Yeah, thanks, Susan. I appreciate the opportunity just to be able to discuss what we have as options. So there's really three flavors that we've got this in. One is the first class. We're calling it lithium battery safety. It's a two-hour course. It's easy to get in, it's easy to digest, it's pretty fast-paced. It is a general overview. Think we're looking at this from 30,000-foot view. What are the batteries? How do they work? How do we see them in our lives on a daily basis? What are the challenges that we have on dealing with the safety, Some of those end of life handling aspects, and we go through some of those things and talk about them. Again, more of an overview. It's an idea. Let's get some awareness here. Kim talked about there's a lot of awareness problems that we have. Now we've got to get that message out of how do we handle these safely. So it's a little bit to handle that and a little bit to talk about what we can do as well.
Speaker 2:Move in and we start talking more about the response side in our four-hour class and really get some in-depth side of how we can deal with some of these different emergencies. How are these cells designed? What are the background chemistries of them? I mentioned battery management systems. What actually is a battery management system and what are some different ways those are put together? Where do we see these batteries? And Janet mentioned that they're everywhere. They're in all of these things that we deal with. So we talk about those and specific hazards related to some of those configurations, Touch on some different incidents that were really key incidents in the process of our understanding of the batteries and hazards and we touch on those and what are those lessons learned and just general safety response considerations related to lithium-ion batteries. Then we step into the full eight-hour course and again trying to do all the things that we did in the two and the four-hour courses where we do those overviews. But this is where we sort of geek out. We get down into the different chemistries that you may see in lithium-ion batteries. What are the pros and the cons of each one of those chemistries. Talk about the stability of them, energy storage potential, why someone may want to go with this chemistry versus that chemistry.
Speaker 2:Dig down deep into some of these case studies and landmark events that occurred and what we can learn from them. Thinking about a little bit. You know we're thinking about it from a response side, but also, you know, this translates over into people that are in other aspects of handling and dealing with these devices, Because there has to be a conversation, there has to be knowledge of it. We have to grow and, as Kim said, this is an emerging technology. It's been around for a long time but it's really just now becoming part of our day in and day out lives and we're just now going in and doing the research and really seeing what's happening and building that, and so on the emergency response side, there's been a lot of there's been actually a three-year study that's soon to come out. So there's a lot of knowledge that we've gathered related to these devices and we're just going to try and share that with the general public through each one of these classes based on needs.
Speaker 1:Okay, so how can any first responders or safety managers find out more about this training?
Speaker 2:Right now the best way to do that is just reach out to myself directly. Get me by email at Aaron Gillespie at Tennesseeedu I'm sorry, aarongillespie at tennesseeedu. That's aarongillespie at tennesseeedu and I can pass along. We've got some flyers that we've put out. We don't have those, I don't believe, in electronic format currently. If we get those rolled into our catalog and things, maybe we can get some updated information in the details for this podcast. But right now just a direct reach out would be the best way.
Speaker 1:Okay, all right. Well, thank you all for joining us today. I'm sure we could probably talk for several more hours about this and probably have a podcast every couple of months with updated information. Sounds like.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:And thank you, listeners. Be sure to subscribe to In Touch with Tennessee, where you find your favorite podcasts.
