The Unexpected Dangers of a Hoverboard

5/18/2017 (Permalink)

This popular high tech toy have proven to be deadly. Federal officials urge consumers to use caution when buying or using self-propelled hoverboards after one of the devices is blamed for causing a deadly house fire in Pennsylvania.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recalled more than 500,000 hoverboards made by 10 retailers warning that the products did not meet federal fire safety standards. Additionally, the CPSC has investigated more than 60 hoverboard fires since the fall of 2015.

In their initial recall announcement, the CPSC said that the affected hoverboards used lithium-ion battery packs that which can overheat thus creating a risk of the hooverboard smoking, catching on fire or even causing an explosion.

Consumers are urged to check hoverboards to see if they comply with federal standards. They need to look for a sign or confirmation that the products are certified by UL, a safety consulting firm formerly known as Underwriters Laboratories.

With this UL safety seal, it helps reduce the potential fire and hazards and will greatly decrease the probability of an incident. The UL standard has many tests that focus on lithium ion battery safety. While hundreds of models have undergone and passed the strict safety requirements, more the 250,000 hoverboards have been recalled to replace faulty battery packs.