Australia Post bans lithium batteries

By Craig Simms on 30 July 2009

(Credit: Australia Post)

Australia Post will no longer be accepting packages that contain lithium batteries by air.

The batteries have been classified as dangerous, leading the International Civil Aviation Organisation to enact more stringent controls. This follows on the exploding laptop batteries debacle of 2006, prompting a recall, and further recalls in 2008 and 2009.

Lithium batteries may still be sent by road, but only if they are lithium-ion and rated for 2 grams, 100-Watt-hours or under.

Most devices should fall under this requirement, although in the official document (PDF) Australia Post mentions that "Equipment will not be safe to send if it contains more than two batteries/four cells" — six-cell batteries being common in laptops.

A customer is also required to attach a "Road Transport Only" sticker to the package, although Australia Post does not guarantee its arrival if remote locations can only be reached by air. Air carriers scan mail for dangerous goods, and any packages containing lithium batteries will be rejected.

This has potential run-on effects for those who import electronic products from overseas to bypass Australia's often higher priced goods. Australians will also not be able to send offending products overseas, and those who wish to send electronic gifts over long distances but still within the country will have to be sent early, to make up for the additional road transport time.

Topics: australia post, bans, lithium, batteries

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Comments (15)

  • Dazza commented on 28/01/2010 13:45

    People Can send you products caontaining batteries in the post here to australia but when there faulty you cant send them back WTF????

  • Fred commented on 15/01/2010 05:11

    When was the last time anyone heard of a WATCH exploding... or a calculator or anything else powered by a tiny lithium button cell?

    Those Austpost idiots don't have the intelligence to understand that those objects don't present any danger at all, but knee-jerk ban them regardless.

  • joining the Brain Drain commented on 22/12/2009 12:36

    Australia is a 'no can do' society that is run by unions and wrapped in cotton wool.

  • Dick commented on 22/12/2009 06:19

    ****ing bullshit...
    Yeah Australia post and now they´re on strike..great time to do
    you bunch of yobs.

  • now what commented on 23/11/2009 14:53

    Crazy, why are camera's, phones laptops etc safe in your luggage and not in the post?
    And it should've been publicised more that OZPost were banning them. I asked five people in my office and they had no idea!!!!!

  • JAL commented on 16/08/2009 08:23

    The whole thing is blown out of proportion. The failure of a lithium-containing cell can be "catastrophic", that is sudden and violent, but the amount of damage it could cause is tiny particularly when the cell is contained inside an apparatus such as a camera. Nonetheless one can understand why Australia Post has limited their carriage.

  • Daniel commented on 03/08/2009 16:49

    This has been the case on all international couriers for quite some time.

  • You Really Should Read the Post commented on 03/08/2009 00:18

    Lithium is a dangerous substance and there have been instances of even mobile phone batteries exploding. In the baggage compartment/mail bag if one exploded there may be quite a fire, which could not be extinguihed.
    Secondly, the smoke/gase from a Lithium fire is poisonous: wikipedia: In the event of an lithium battery explosion it will quickly generate dense white smoke which can cause severe irritation to the respiratory tract, eyes and skin. All precautions must be taken to limit exposure to these fumes. Due to its alkaline tarnish, lithium metal is corrosive and requires special handling to avoid skin contact. Breathing lithium dust or lithium compounds (which are often alkaline) initially irritate the nose and throat, while higher exposure can cause a buildup of fluid in the lungs, leading to pulmonary edema. The metal itself is a handling hazard because of the caustic hydroxide produced when it is in contact with moisture.

    Having worked in a place which had larger LI-on batteries (500gms), if one was dropped and the case cracked, the fire brigade had to be called and the batteiy isolated and place evacuated. They are not fun batteries, just the best available for power today.

  • brit_in_oz commented on 02/08/2009 19:46

    You could send them by raod only - read the details but you cant post overseas etc (so use a courier)

  • Rhetticus commented on 02/08/2009 15:25

    Actually brit_in_oz I think you could post a camera as the doc says:

    'Most lithium batteries used in consumer electronic devices contain less than the permitted amount of lithium. For example the following devices and batteries for such devices will be safe to send:
    Mobile phones, ipods, cameras, MP3s players, portable DVD players, most lap-top computers, camcorders, power tools, GPS navigation systems, watches, clocks, calculators, toys, remote car locks, bicycle lights, electronic shavers and other consumer electronic devices.'

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