debate on lithium batteries reignites

A coalition of airline pilots has called on the government to ban the delivery of lithium batteries on aircraft after a series of fires in recent years.
The Airline Pilots Association said Tuesday that federal regulators were slow to move on the issue.
Pilots call for a ban on all lithium-
Battery Transport based on passenger and cargo aircraft.
The ban does not apply to devices where passengers carry batteries.
\"There is growing evidence of obvious and current dangers,\" said Mark Rogers, airline pilot and director of the Union dangerous goods program.
\"We need to ban these dangerous goods immediately to protect the passengers, crew and cargo of the airline,\" Rogers said . \".
Since March 2008, there have been six fires in lithium-related passenger and cargo aircraft.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the battery is based on the battery.
No deaths or serious injuries were caused by these incidents.
S. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Laura Brown said the government does not believe there is an urgent need to ban the transportation of lithium batteries because strict rules are being drafted.
\"We are monitoring the situation,\" Brown said . \".
\"We know something has happened.
\"Federal administration for the safety of pipelines and hazardous materials (PHMSA)
The past two years have been trying to draft new regulations.
Several incidents sparked calls from the Union, including a fire on a FedEx plane in August.
This was discovered shortly after landing in Minni apores.
The fire apparently started with a batch of batteries.
Patrick Hogan, a spokeswoman for Minneapolis, said electric smoke-free cigarettesSt.
Paul International Airport
These devices are powered by rechargeable lithiumion batteries.
The plane was not damaged, but the fire seriously damaged the contents of a container, Hogan said.
If the fire hadn\'t started shortly before landing, the accident could have been much more serious, Rogers said.
\"If we are not lucky, our Hull will suffer a catastrophic loss,\" he said . \"
Federal law allows lithium
Ion batteries transported as cargo on passenger planes.
John derlenberg says the battery is getting stronger and the electronics industry is becoming more dependent on the battery to run devices from mobile phones to cameras, which makes them more dangerous in rare trouble situations, director of consumer safety, Underwriters Laboratory.
Laboratories known as UL test electronic equipment for safety.
Risk of lithium-
In 1999, a batch of 120,000 batteries caught fire after arriving in Los Angeles from Japan. The non-
Rechargeable battery different from Rechargeable Lithium
Ion battery, burning violently, can not be extinguished with water or fire extinguisher.
National Committee on traffic safety (NTSB)
Expressed concern about the incident.
On 2004, the regulatory authority of PHMSA banned the shipment of bulk non-
Rechargeable lithium battery on the passenger plane.
Rechargeable lithium
Ion batteries are not flammable and can be put out with fire extinguishers, but NTSB has issued a series of suggestions requiring stricter supervision and testing of batteries.
Spokesman David Castelveter said the Washington trade group Air Transport Association of the aviation industry is working with the government to study the issue \"to ensure the absolute safety of our passengers and crew \".