Slashdot Mirror


US Bans Electronic Cigarettes From Checked Baggage Over Fire Risks (foxnews.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Earlier this month, the FDA announced it would regulate electronic cigarettes and other new tobacco products. Now, the U.S. Transportation Department announced it is permanently banning passengers and crew members from carrying electronic cigarettes in checked baggage or charging the devices onboard aircraft. They have cited a number of recent incidents that show the devices can catch fire during flight. Passengers can still carry e-cigarettes in their carry-on baggage or on their person, they just can't use the devices on flights. "Fire hazards in flight are particularly dangerous," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. "Banning e-cigarettes from checked bags is a prudent and important safety measure." The new rule covers e-cigarettes, e-cigars, e-pipes, and battery-powered portable electronic smoking devices in general. It does not prohibit passengers from transporting other battery-powered devices for personal use like laptop computers or cellphones.

5 of 131 comments (clear)

  1. Re: Fire hazard? No shit sherlock. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    The truth is, yes, this type of thing can happen, but it is easily preventable by being careful about marrying your batteries and not using a low resistance coil at high wattages (to prevent drawing too many amps from being pulled from the battery). There are simple calculators you can use online if you can't be assed with learning Ohm's Law, too. No excuse for stupidity.

    Also, stay away from so-called mechanical mods unless you know what you're doing (in mech mods, the activation button physically completes the circuit between the battery and the coil instead of using a circuit board to control it all).

  2. Re: Fire hazard? No shit sherlock. by OzPeter · · Score: 4, Insightful

    No excuse for stupidity.

    If the TSA could screen for stupidity, then there wouldn't be a TSA in the first place.

    Unfortunately for the rest of us there is no test to keep stupid people from flying.

    --
    I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
  3. Re:The usual idiocy... by goose-incarnated · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Okay, so thing that can explode/cause a fire is banned from checked baggage, yet the same thing that can explode/cause a fire is allowed in carry-on luggage?!? Seriously, what the fuck? Oh, well, we can't have fires in the cargo space, but inside the cabin? Perfectly fine. Thanks USA, for the usual amount of sense in protecting your citizens.

    Ever heard of the Helderberg? Cargo fires grow unnoticed until they consume the plane. Cabin fires are quickly spotted.

    --
    I'm a minority race. Save your vitriol for white people.
  4. Re:Fire hazard? No shit sherlock. by hairyfeet · · Score: 4, Informative

    If a moron built his own 22 pistol and it blew up in his face....would you blame firearms?

    Because that is EXACTLY what this fucknuts did, he bought a VERY expensive and VERY specialized MECHANICAL MOD. For those that do not know a "mech mod" is a very specialized piece of kit really only used by a handful that consider themselves "pro vapors" as it has NO protection or overload circuits, its just a battery and a trigger. this means you HAVE TO know Ohms law like the back of your hand, know the battery output down to the .0 wattage, I know guys that have been vaping a decade that won't touch mech mods because of how much time you have to invest in them to keep them from being seriously dangerous....can we ALL guess where this is going?

    If you said "rich dipshit with more money than brains and who doesn't know Ohm's law from a seatbelt law buys a $300+ mech mod, throws a $20 gas station top on it and blows his dumbass up"? Then you win a cookie. I mean for fuck's sake guys, we've seen morons take a glock and promptly shoot themselves in the foot, hell I've even seen video of a future Darwin award winner that has a fucking 110v POWER STRIP floating on a donut in a pool to power a portable TV...do we blame these objects for the fucking idiots that don't know how to use them properly?

    If you buy a normal vaping device, not some crazy mech mod or $5 Chinese special? Then you have absolutely ZERO to worry about as they all have overload and short circuit protection, hell I'm looking at a 40 watter right now I have to take to the local vape shop to get a seal replaced on because the rubber grommet got a teeny tiny bit worn down with all the tanks I've swapped on the thing and just that little bit of wear was enough for the unit to shut down with a "short circuit protection" error code. this is why I have ZERO worries about any of my units blowing up in my face, no matter what tank i throw on it as even the $30 basic box mods have automatic adjustment for ohms and will not allow the unit to fire if you put a top on that is too high or too low ohms for it to fire safely.

    What we have in the article you cited is no different than a rich dipshit that buys a Kawasaki Ninja was his first bike and promptly fucks himself up or kills himself, he bought the vaping equivalent of a dragster without even knowing where the gas goes in the fucking thing.

    --
    ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
  5. Re: Fire hazard? No shit sherlock. by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You're an idiot. I use my vape because it's what got me to quit smoking. I've been cigarette free for two years now thanks to it.

    The puritans that have given rise to the idiocies like Prohibition and the war on drugs are having nightmares about vaping. Without the cancer causing agents, they have lost their second and third and so on arguments that have allowed them to demonize smokers.

    Don't worry though, that won't stop them from making shit up.

    --
    The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.