Editorial: Prioritizing a Safer Home This New Year

Happy New Year! The beginning of the year is the perfect time to prioritize your health and wellbeing. For some of us, that may mean setting fitness goals and starting an exercise routine. For others, that could mean prioritizing mental health — striking a better work-life balance or committing to a regular meditation practice. Eating more healthily and cutting out junk food is always at the top of my list of resolutions.

This year, many of my resolutions involve home renovations. To do them safely, a few projects that I want to tackle this year will likely require me to hire a professional — such as installing a generator hookup and replacing old grease-packed gas valves. Although it can seem like a chore, keeping up with home maintenance is actually one of the best things to do for your health and safety.

You may not think about it every day, but many of the appliances we use frequently in the winter — like fireplaces and woodstoves, electric space heaters, propane patio heaters, and (often lint-clogged) clothes dryers — are hazardous and should be treated with appropriate caution. The cover article this month discusses the hazards associated with another common item found in most homes — lithium-ion batteries. These batteries, omnipresent in this digital age, can present fire and explosion risks under certain conditions.

In New York City, where e-bikes and electric scooters are commonplace, residential fires related to lithium-ion batteries killed over a dozen people in 2023. Much of the problem is related to a “flood of poor-quality batteries that can catch fire for a variety of reasons, such as an internal failure, use of the wrong charger, or excessive charging,” writes investigative reporter Michael Rothfeld in an article that appeared in The New York Times in November 2023. The high demand for cheap electric bikes and scooters is driven by the surge in popularity of food and grocery delivery services like DoorDash and Uber Eats.

It’s worth noting that lithium-ion batteries in e-bikes can be safe if manufactured correctly; much of the problem stems from insufficient product regulation and shady producers who do not follow proper standards. To counter the growing threat of these electric micromobility devices, New York City amended its fire code to regulate battery charging practices and launched public education campaigns to make consumers more aware of the hazards.

Much more can be done to improve the safety of lithium-ion batteries, argues Michael Snyder in his article on pp. 41–49. For example, clearer and more widely available emergency procedures for handling thermal runaway events are needed for first responders. “Advancements in lower-flammability electrolytes, safer and more energy-dense cathodes, as well as improved reliability in battery manufacturing techniques will make impactful contributions,” writes Snyder. He also calls for additional standards and safety resources to be developed to help prevent and mitigate lithium-ion battery fires.

If you have resolved to make your health and wellbeing a priority this year, be sure to keep your living space in mind as well. Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors regularly, keep space heaters and candles well away from curtains and bedding, and dispose of last year’s Christmas tree in a timely manner — i.e., before it completely dries out. Out with the old and in with the new.

Emily Petruzzelli, Editor-in-Chief