Cell phones have become our constant companion in the digital world. During the day, we clutch them in our hands or stuff them into our jeans. At night, many of us take them to bed. They’re the last thing we look at before going to bed and the first thing we look at when we wake up. In fact, it’s so common to fall asleep with a phone in bed that the Pew Internet Project reports 44 percent of people have done it. Now, the New York Police Department has issued a warning about the dangers of stuffing your cell phone under your pillow. “Don’t put your cellphone under a pillow when sleeping or when charging your device. Please share this tip and b safe!” the NYPD’s tweet urges. And one look at the grizzly photos that the department’s 33rd Precinct shared on Twitter and you’ll be ready to kick your phone out of bed for good.
The terrifying images show a charred pillow and mattress following a cell phone explosion.
And this wasn’t the first case of a cell phone explosion. In 2014, a teen from Texas recalled waking up from the smell of smoke and then discovering it was the cell phone under her pillow.
Samsung manuals even warn users of the potential risk: “Covering the device with bedding, your body, thick clothing or any other materials that significantly affect airflow may affect the performance of the phone and poses a possible risk of fire or explosion, which could lead to serious bodily injuries or damage to property.”
Fire Chief David Berardesca from the Hamden, Connecticut Fire Department explains that cell phones need ventilation. “It is recommended that you leave these types of devices on a hard surface so the heat can dissipate. The batteries heat up, they could melt — in some cases, explode — and cause a fire,” he told NBC in a 2015 article.
Please share anyone you know who uses a cell phone (well, everybody basically) and let them know about the potential danger of sleeping with a cell phone under a pillow or in between the sheets!
