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Hello I repair a lot of iPhones , ipads, but sometimes when i have to change a battery there’s a sort of smell like polish remover coming from the battery . The odour is not very annoying but when i sniff/breathe this odour, I feel a few headaches during 1 hour or less. This odour can also be breathed sometimes on new batteries (Which are defective) or used batteries and sometimes also when taking off the batteries when it is broken What this smell is composed of ? Thanks
The rechargeable Li-ion batteries that you work with contain several solvents. The two that have distinct odors are dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and diethyl carbonate (DEC). Most other solvents in Li-ion cells are odorless. So it’s likely that you are smelling those solvents. DMC has an alcohol-like odor, while DEC has a weaker, milder ester-like odor (like nail polish). Neither are particularly toxic, and in fact dimethyl carbonate is classified as a ‘green’ solvent. DMC does metabolize into methanol, and if you get enough in your system, you’ll get methanol poisoning. Headaches are one typical symptom of mild acute methanol toxicity. It’s not likely that you are in serious danger, but long term exposure (over years) can cause health problems. Use good ventilation and you’ll be fine. Primary Li batteries are another story. Their odor probably comes from dimethoxyethane, which has a sharp chemical odor. It is classified as potentially toxic and on OSHA’s watch list.
Good ventilation is important for your repair bench. You may want to consider on of these. Not cheap but certainly worth it for your health. This is an interesting resource for batteries: http://www.batteryuniversity.com/learn/a…
Just popped back off because screen was broke and cant turn phone off and alarm keeps going off. the chemical smell is so strong from strip over battery the whole room smells now. Its defiantly toxic and possibly flammable. just now by lisa walls
