- A police report at Kenol police station in Murang’a says police constable Simon Chepkirwok was travelling in a police land cruiser with three of his colleagues.
- Many reasons can cause a mobile phone to explode but manufactures have cited a number of the most common causes including manufacturing defect.
Image: HANDOUT
A DCI detective stationed in Mathioya suffered serious burn injuries after a mobile phone exploded in his pocket.
A police report at Kenol police station in Murang’a says police constable Simon Chepkirwok was travelling in a police land cruiser with three of his colleagues from Mathioya to Kinangop on official duty at the time of the incident.
“The mobile phone, the property of PC Simon Chepkirwok, which was in his left front trouser pocket, burst into flames and burnt him on the left thigh. The officer was rushed to Kenol Hospital, where he was treated and discharged in fair condition,” the report says.
What can cause a mobile phone to explode?
Many reasons can cause a mobile phone to explode, but manufacturers have cited a number of the most common causes, including manufacturing defects.
Phone left in the car, in direct sunlight
Leaving the phone exposed to direct heat from the sun can ruin the phone’s battery.
The heat can cause the cells in the battery to lose exothermic breakdown and produce gases like oxygen and carbon dioxide.
These gases can cause the battery to swell, compromise its structure and eventually explode.
Manufacturing defect
A wrong component or a fault in the assembly line can cause the Lithium-ion battery that powers the handset to malfunction and, in turn, explode,.
This usually happens when the cells inside the battery reach a critical temperature due to external heat, overcharging, damage or poor manufacturing.
Physical damage to the battery
When a phone is dropped, the impact can alter the internal mechanical or chemical structure of the battery, leading to short-circuiting or overheating, which can cause it to explode.
A battery often swells when its internal mechanical or chemical structure has been damaged.
Using third-party chargers
Charging a phone using a charger other than the one specified for the handset by the manufacturer can overheat the phone, damage the internal components and lead to shorts in your phone’s battery.
Overnight charging
Overnight charging of a handset can take a toll on the battery and result in overheating, short-circuit and at times, explosion.
Some modern smartphones nowadays come with a chip that stops the flow of current once the battery is 100 per cent, although most cheap handsets lack the safety feature.
Processor overload
Multi-tasking and running apps with heavy graphics can overload your phone’s processor and contribute to its overheating.
Phone manufacturers developed a thermal lock to suppress this action but in rare incidences, the thermal lock can fail causing the phone to explode.
Battery coming in contact with water
A combination of water and a punctured phone battery can occur, resulting in the phone exploding if it lacks a waterproof feature.
Customer-induced damage
A damaged motherboard caused by external forces like accidentally sitting on the phone or dropping something heavy on it can compromise the phone’s safety features or puncture the battery.
This damage can cause the phone to explode.