The phone charger emitted fumes
The incident happened at the Manville School in Boston, a school for children with special needs. According to a spokesperson from the fire department, one student’s phone charger overheated and started sparking.
One staff member then took the charger to the bathroom and doused it with water, however, it emitted fumes that caused 7 people, including one child, to feel sick and lightheaded.
Thankfully, no one was seriously injured. A team also went and checked the air quality to make sure that the school was safe, and no evacuations were needed.
How safe are your electronics at home?
While gadgets and appliances make our lives so much easier, there are a few cases wherein things can go wrong, especially if we misuse our devices or if they’re not made to a high standard.
Problems can also happen whenever we purchase fake or bootleg devices, especially since they’re so cheap. However, we have to understand that they’re cheap for a reason, and usually that’s because they cut corners and they also don’t follow strict quality standards.
For the most part, gadgets these days are getting safer. However, as in the case of the Samsung Galaxy recalls, we have a responsibility to keep ourselves updated to any product recalls or reported issues about a certain product.
Electrical safety at home
Nowadays, with the prevalence of gadgets and appliances, we have to know the risks and dangers that are involved when it comes to electrical safety.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Avoid using appliances with damaged cords. Using damaged cords is a potential fire hazard, and it can also damage your appliance.
- If using an extension cord, make sure to use the correct type. There are different types of extension cords for different appliances and situations, such as ones for use outdoors.
- Avoid plugging too many appliances into a single extension cord. This is called octopus wiring, and it can cause the cord to overheat and start a fire.
- When buying any electrical appliance, make sure that they have proper registration marks. Be very careful if you’re buying a product that’s cheaper than usual. Make sure that they have been properly registered and up to safety standards.
- If there are any switches or fuses that feel hot, turn them off immediately. While it’s true that some appliances or gadgets do get warm with use, it’s a different case entirely if they’re very hot to the touch as it might mean that something inside has shorted out.
Sources: foxnews.com, sfgate.com, esasafe.com
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