Misleading news item!

[Pictor]

Did anyone see the BBC Look North TV news piece about the battery exploding in a North Yorkshire pub?
That news item did not make it clear that he should not have been charging his e-cig battery in an iPad charger.
I don't know a lot about electricity, but do know never to use anything but dedicated chargers, and not iPad chargers.
He stated in that news item that companies do not give enough information. From what I've seen, they certainly do give the proper information, especially regarding charging of batteries.

He said: ‘I put the e-cigarette on charge in my iPad charger, which I have done countless times before'.

Had the news item emphasised the need for correct chargers, it would have been far better, and served a useful purpose.
I see it was also reported in newspapers, some as far afield as New York!
The Daily Mail one for instance has the usual comments below the article showing for and against with e-cigs. Exploding e-cigarette miraculously leaves barmaid with just a charred dress | Mail Online
He even went on to name the supplier stating that he won't buy from them again, thus implying that they were to blame!

Media sources are sadly lacking in their research before running such stories.
I did send an email to the programme address explaining the lack of information and clarity in that news item, but it was probably a waste of time.

 

[Frenchfry1942]

Many are.

Have you joined an advocacy group? Here in the States is CASAA.

Also, write your story and submit it to your local paper(s). Representatives, too.

Once I wrote my story, I used it as a "base" and modified it as needed.

Take the fight to them! Watch your local legislative news (councils?) to see what is being considered. Write letters to each member and e-mail them.

We must stand up for our rights.

 

[Pictor]

Have you joined an advocacy group? Here in the States is CASAA.

Yes, done that

 

[djsvapour]

I read this today... in a UK newspaper.

Totally Wicked e-cig being charged with 2A ipad charger.

 

[Pictor]

What ..he's claiming from them for the charger?

 

[Lucky1384]

I despaired when I saw this in the paper. Yet another person obviously doing zero research about Ecigs, batteries and general safety. It's a very poor decision made by the media in reporting Totally Wickeds name and certainly insinuating that they were somehow at fault. I haven't used TW for a few years, but do have a Liberty Flights Ego type battery (which tend to be identical to the TW ones) and they are superb quality, much better than the original Vision ones. I've had mine for years, never treated it nicely and it's still like brand new.

I only had to read a little about battery safety to know that my preferred method of charging even the best 18650's is on a good quality charger at 0.5A. My 2.1A iPad charger is used only for my iPad, not even for my iPhone.

I really hope TW make a very public statement about this!

 

[Anubuk]

It is stupid to substitute chargers made for other device than e-cigs. What an idiot. Another boob making the rest of us look bad and discrediting e-cigs.

Many are.

Have you joined an advocacy group? Here in the States is CASAA.

Also, write your story and submit it to your local paper(s). Representatives, too.

Once I wrote my story, I used it as a "base" and modified it as needed.

Take the fight to them! Watch your local legislative news (councils?) to see what is being considered. Write letters to each member and e-mail them.

We must stand up for our rights.

I agree. We have to speak up. The more who do, the larger our group and the easier it is for us to be heard. We can't complain about the changes they are trying to make and the bull.... propaganda they are spouting if we are unwilling to put in the effort to get the truth out there. Please join CASAA. They will help guide you to your state and local representatives and once you write them you can modify your base letter as needed and send it to other states' reps and beyond. If we all do this to some degree it will make a difference.

In another post I also suggested having a friend or family member who has never smoked/vaped write a positive letter about how e-cigs have changed yours and their lives for the better. This can help establish a positive point of view from an outside perspective. My husband is writing one.

 

[Dayglow]

The news isn't interested in educating the public about what should have been done to prevent it, they are interested in sensationalized media. We don't live in a time and place where truth holds more substance over shock and awe. Think about all the reports floating around about how dangerous eliquid is. Yes it is dangerous, but so is conventional pesticide if you get it all over you or drink it.

 

[Anubuk]

The truth of the issue (and the current state of politics) is that those with money (big corporations) hold sway over the politicians and legislature. I want to believe that if there is enough of us we can make an impact and while I have my doubts i would rather try than do nothing at all.

Alot of these problems we are experiencing dealing with the FDA, regulations, bans, and taxes are because big tobacco and big pharma are throwing temper tantrums. Our choice to vape is affecting their bottom line (profits and possible future profits) and they do not like it.
If enough of us are noticed, hopefully public opinion can cause things to move closer to our favor.

We are going to get taxed, there will be bans and regulations. But like the tax proposed in Ohio (49%!), that is a horrible extreme that we have to try and oppose. Don't tax the hardware (cig rollers and papers aren't taxed the same as cigs, neither is pipe tobacco)and do not limit our flavors or ability to obtain the juices we want. I will take a small tax and indoor vaping bans if it means they will leave the rest alone. A reasonable amount of safety regulations/unbiased research won't hurt, only help us choose the safest ways to vape. It is about not going overboard. It is hard to trust them to make the right decisions when all they have are dollar signs in their eyes, as well as a huge lack of common sense and in many cases a sense of what is fair and right.

 

[Dayglow]

It won't help shops that have already named themselves as well as online retailers but so far all proposed legislation items do not affect those that prefer to use "personal vaporizers" with 0mg "vaporizing liquid". It might skirt a lot of the legislation similarly how illegal drug paraphernalia gets around the law because it is not sold "for the expressed purpose of illegal drug consumption".

 

[Pictor]

The news isn't interested in educating the public about what should have been done to prevent it, they are interested in sensationalized media. We don't live in a time and place where truth holds more substance over shock and awe. Think about all the reports floating around about how dangerous eliquid is. Yes it is dangerous, but so is conventional pesticide if you get it all over you or drink it.

And that is precisely why I won't write to newspapers because I know how they can twist articles into either demonising something or making things look ridiculous.
As you say, they want headlines to sell papers. Reporting facts is often the last thing they're concerned about.
I had three regional newspapers write about me in the earlier days of my career, and only one did a proper serious article about me and my work, the others made me look like a 'cosy housewife' who dabbled with her work in-between cooking and washing her family's socks! The truth was exactly the opposite!

If that TV news item had pointed out the error of his ways, and given a dire warning about never using a charger for another item, it would have been very useful and effective, and may have encouraged the newspapers to write more informative and honest articles.

 

[Bubblegum]

Ermm i use a iphone charger to charge my ego's no problem at all! but i never leave anything charging unattended.

 

[Hermit]

Well exactly... all an iphone 'charger' does is provide 5V on a USB connector; it's really just a power supply. The actual charger, regulating current, would've been the usual EGO type, I presume (there's no mention of any home-made contraption involved).

What's wrong, if anything, is charging it in a crowded place! I charge mine in the kitchen, when I'm not in there (but close enough to hear/smell anything bad happening). There's less flammable stuff, fire extinguisher and blanket are handy, etc, just in case.

 

[Enigmatica]

I've been trying to recruit every smoker I meet and the one thing people seem to have heard about is this story. Not how wonderful vaping is for giving up cigarettes.

 

[Pictor]

Working at home, I don't tend to meet many smokers - no-one else in my family smokes.
But, whenever possible, I do tell friends and colleagues about this brilliant way to stop smoking. If it can stop me from getting up to smoking around 35 per day this past two years then anyone can do it. I'd smoked to some degree (mostly increasing) for best part of 50 years.

We had lunch at a North Yorkshire pub restaurant a few days ago (not the same N.Yorkshire village as the news story) - and I didn't see one person smoking outside, or using e-cigs inside or outside! I didn't go into the pub garden though as it was quite a chilly day.
Thankfully, I didn't get any urgent need to use mine, but would have taken a trip to the 'bathroom' if I had!

 

[Beckyjc]

Those new ipad chargers supply more than 5v/2a don't they? You can't use them with an iphone so why try with an ecig?

There's no problem using a regular iphone usb charger, they done have to be dedicated cig charges as long as they supply 5v the battery will just take the current it needs. As far as I know anyway.

 

[Hermit]

Those new ipad chargers supply more than 5v/2a don't they? You can't use them with an iphone so why try with an ecig?

How new? I found this Apple support article, which says the opposite:

While these USB power adapters are designed for use with iPad or iPad mini, you can charge all iPhone and iPod models by connecting them with either a Lightning to USB Cable or a 30-pin to USB Cable.

There's no problem using a regular iphone usb charger, they done have to be dedicated cig charges as long as they supply 5v the battery will just take the current it needs. As far as I know anyway.

iPhone USB 'chargers' aren't actually chargers; they're really just power adapters. You would need a dedicated charger to limit the current and voltage - a typical ego charger limits to about 500mA and 4.2V on its output (iPhones etc have a charger built-in). And to make the connection to the battery, of course! While it doesn't specifically say in the news article, we can deduce that he was actually using an ipad power adapter with a USB ego charger plugged into it. (Perfectly reasonable use of those devices, just a bad battery).