Cell phone explosion

Introduction

Cell phones have become an integral part of everyday life since the 1970s. They have become a necessity and a most convenient means of communication. Further, cell phones are used for listening to music, gaming and taking photographs, etc. Though the benefits of cell phones are widely known, studies over the past two decades have considered whether the use of cell phones has deleterious effects on human health.^1–4

It was found that the scientific literature on cell phone explosions and resultant burn injuries is limited to a few reports.^5,6 We report a rare case of cell phone explosion that occurred when a young man was listening to music while the mobile was plugged in for charging.

Case report

A 21-year-old man sustained flash burn injuries to his ears. He presented to the Emergency Department of Manipal Teaching Hospital, Pokhara with complaints of pain and diminished hearing of the left ear. He was listening to music through earphones connected to a cell phone that was plugged in for charging when the sudden explosion of the cell phone, earphones and charger took place (Figure 1). There was no history of loss of consciousness, vomiting, tinnitus or vertigo. The vital signs of the patient were stable. On inspection of the pinna, burn injuries were observed in concha, crux of helix, antehelix and tragus of left ear and concha of right ear. Burn injuries were also present in the pre- and post-auricular region of left ear (Figure 2). Otoscope examination of both the ears showed edematous external auditory canals and the tympanic membranes could not be visualised. There was no discharge and no loss of hearing. Rinne’s test by tuning fork at 512 Hz for both the ears was negative while Weber’s test was central. Second to third degree burn injuries were present on the right palm that was holding the cell phone when it exploded. Burn injuries were also seen on the palmar aspect of right ring and little finger (Figure 3). Dressing of the wound was done daily with soframycin (framycetin sulphate) ointment along with a prophylactic antibiotic coverage with injections of clindamycin. On the seventh day of admission, debridement of the eschar of right palm was performed under regional anaesthesia (wrist block). The patient was discharged on request on tenth day with advice of weekly follow-up for dressing of the wounds. The audiometry done after two months was normal and tympanometry result showed bilateral ‘A type’ tympanogram. OPEN IN VIEWER

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Figure 2.

Burn injuries over both the external ears (a); complete healing occurred after two months (b).

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Figure 3.

Burn injuries sustained over right palm (a); healing with scar formation (b).

Discussion

Injuries sustained in cell phone explosions are not uncommon news items. The burns resulting from cell phone explosions can be considered as a largely underreported medical issue. A Google search revealed at least five cases of cell phone explosions reported as news items from India alone in the last three years. These explosions resulted in direct burns, loss of eye sight and even death in one case. Scientific publications on cell phone explosion, however, remain a rarity.

In a case of a mobile phone explosion in Turkey, a 16-year-old female sustained 2% partial thickness burns.^6,7 A middle-aged car mechanic in Wales sustained 1.5% partial thickness burn over his body while changing a petrol tank of a car underneath which he was working when his mobile suddenly started ringing. ⁸ There are no definite mechanisms given on how the mobile phone explosions occurred. It may be due to a spark generated by the battery within the phone or the electromagnetic waves that generate current and ignite an inflammable object in the vicinity. ⁸ Apart from these, explosion of a mobile phone can occur when they are used to detonate bombs during a terrorist attack. ⁹ These theories, however, do not explain the mechanism of the mobile phone explosion in our case.

The similarity noted among the other cases of cell phone explosion is that the explosion occurred when the devices were plugged in for charging and were connected to an electric charger. In most of the cases, the explosion occurred when the victim attempted to answer a call on a cell phone that was plugged in for charging. In the reported case, however, the victim was listening to music with ear plugs on when the explosion occurred which resulted in trauma to his ears. Our literature search has revealed only a single case of acute ear trauma caused by the failure of a cellular phone. ¹⁰

Although cell phones can be useful, they can be hazardous if not used properly. The causes of cell phone explosion are often related to the use of replacement batteries and chargers, etc. The victim in our case, however, denied replacement of the battery or of any part, and claimed to have used only the company provided accessories obtained at the time of the purchase of the cell phone. The mobile phone in the reported case was not defective and was in a good working condition prior to the incident. There was no warning note about possibility that the device could explode while charging.

Although rare, the possibility of explosion of a mobile phone does exist. A common feature observed in similar cases is that the cell phones were plugged in for charging when the explosion occurred. It is advisable that cell phones are used only when the device is unplugged from the charger.