A teenager lost her life after her smartphone exploded on her pillow as she listened to music
The news of smartphones that catch fire or explode, unfortunately, are not rare, and in recent years they have followed each other with a certainly not reassuring frequency.
Bearing in mind that such an event is quite rare and that there are several factors that contribute to the occurrence, it remains established that modern electronic devices may be at risk of exploding.
This is demonstrated by the case of 14-year-old Alua Asetkyzy Abzalbek, a teenager from Kazakhstan who lost her life in a way that is as dramatic as it is disconcerting, especially if one thinks that similar situations could possibly be experienced by many of us.
Let's see what happened.
via Daily Mail
Alua's day had passed like so many others and, after her daily activities had been completed, the young girl went to bed with the intention of resting and listening to some music, directly from her smartphone.
The smartphone, however, had a low battery, so Alua thought of attaching it to the charger so that it wouldn't run down completely while playing her favorite music.
Then the young woman fell asleep and the smartphone, which she had first been holding in her had, slid under the pillow on her bed. Still recharging, the battery increased in temperature until it exploded, catching fire so quickly that Alua did not even have time to realize what was happening.
The pillow was on fire, as was the bed linen and, in a very short time, the girl found herself wrapped in flames. At the arrival of the family, who tried to tame the fire, the 14-year-old's burns were already very serious.
Despite the timely intervention of her family, for the young girl, there was nothing they could do, and when the paramedics arrived, Alua had already died.
This dramatic episode is a case that makes us think about the danger of many common actions we perform every day. In particular, with smartphones, equipped with powerful batteries and increasingly advanced functions.
Consequently, this combination puts the smartphone at risk of overheating and great care must always be taken. Smartphone batteries are made with lithium, a "liquid" metal that, in contact with oxygen, can catch on fire.
For this reason, it is essential to avoid all the conditions wherein a smartphone battery can overheat, with the result of causing an explosion.
Some things such as using non-original chargers, voltage problems, and temperature changes can do the rest, contributing in a dangerous and harmful way to creating episodes similar to those that occurred to the young Kazakhstani girl.
Please remember to not keep your smartphone in your pocket or leave it in the sun! And, it is just as important to not let your smartphone come into contact with water unless, obviously, it is waterproof.
Although today's smartphones are designed to offer maximum security to users in many different situations, taking precautions that can help avoid certain situations from happening is not a bad idea and is more helpful and effective than easy scaremongering.
