Is lithium-ion battery Borgia?

Is it a battery or a WMD?
On 11 April, five employees of advanced battery lab in general have been violated Motors (GM) Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, when extreme tests of a prototype-lithium ion battery pack from A123 systems (AONE) chemical gases released, which exploded in a test Chamber. Four were treated at the scene, and one was taken to a local hospital. The injuries were not life threatening.

About 1,100 employees who were Warren in the plant evacuated, while spent four hours take a HAZMAT team air samples inside and outside of the building. While most were the evacuees in the location, again to work, it is not clear, how long it take approximately $5 million and recovery of operation to repair damage to the battery lab.
GM got the media quickly, that the incident include no battery for the GM-Volt and technically there was no battery explosion at all. Engineers were simply carrying out extreme overcharge on a prototype battery and failed, that is exactly what you would expect.

Or is it?
The fact that it was a fault ventilated gases ignited surprised me not. The fact that the explosion was violent enough, lead to major structural damage to a special facility, which was designed, to the occasional battery explosion safely manage is very worrying. The chemical composition of the gas that supposedly the explosion a nightmare is caused. That is frightening, that these problems are ignored, or Volt is Vice at least under the carpet to protect the battered image of the GM.

On Friday of the 13th torque News reported:
"Not actually the battery involved in the Wednesday morning explosion gases in the test chamber explode but rather lit and the massive explosion created caused." While the extremes of collected in the field test testing process hydrogen sulfide gas and when the gas ignited - we had violated the massive explosion, the five clouds and Energy Center has significant damage on the alternative test surface, including Windows and at least a thick door 8 "blow out." "Then show the reports that the battery was still intact."

It may be just my lawyer fascination with words and sentence structure, but sentence 2 of this paragraph sounds sure one know unattributed direct quote from someone at GM.
I'm not a chemist, but I have disaster significant oil and gas experience, including three years as legal counsel for boots & coots, the largest oil field response company in the world. Based on experience, I know that gas hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is:

The reason smelly rotten eggs;Explosive at concentrations of 43,000 to 460,000 PPM; Known AndOne of the most deadly poisons to humans.In the United States ban occupational health and safety regulations exposure to H2S concentrations of 100 PPM without a fully face masterpiece pressure demand breathing apparatus.
A Wikipedia search shows that PPM olfactory, smell to slay; paralyzes a H2S concentration of 150 nerve 800 PPM is the lethal concentration for 50% of people with five minutes of exposure; and concentrations can cause over 1,000 PPM immediate respiratory arrest after a single breath.

H2S sudden death by poisoning in 2.3% of the concentration of an explosion requires.
If a comparable error in a driving car has occurred, the driver would be incapacitated for work in seconds, while his vehicle in a crowded bar bar click before you explode.

I know that nothing inherently dangerous in the anode and cathode materials for today's advanced lithium-ion batteries. In fact, was I surprised at the reports that a lithium-ion battery lead enough H2S gas to an explosion could generate. When I started to ask questions, but I have learned that the electrolyte could any number of accessories, separators, binders, fillers and additional cell materials very toxic fumes from a faulty cell or battery pack released.
The active materials can wonderfully in her own right, but everything, what in a cell goes for his ability, chemically interact with other cell materials and provide a serious threat to human health and safety carefully must be evaluated.

We know the process at least once failed.
GM's "Accident" may be a unique curiosity when it was examining an exotic lithium-sulphur battery or something else that fundamentally from conventional lithium-ion batteries. There may be only the tip of an iceberg, the first example of the unintended interactions between cell components that can make large-format lithium-ion batteries for use in cars or other closed areas too dangerous.

100 years ago, the Titanic as a miracle of technology was announced until in April 1912 forced engineers their basic assumptions in question make a completely unexpected turn of events. I believe that the explosion of the GM at least some soul searching should force.
For four years I have heard of lithium-ion battery talk nothing but security manufacturers, ideologues, politicians and would-be end users. This is the first report that I have seen that threatens, the bubble burst. When H2S is generated gas in the GM advanced battery lab, we need to know how much gas H2S was generated, how it was created and how long the process took. We need also a security to know whether similar problems in large-format lithium-ion can exist third-party batteries. I understand that each battery manufacturer in their secret sauce would keep proprietary recipe, but a time comes when customers is the safety priority competitive advantage.

I am the first to admit deep confusion about the facts that have been reported so far. But it seems a consensus that a poisonous gas was generated by a faulty battery, test concentrations at explosive levels in the Chamber rose and the resulting explosion 2009 built large structural damage to a plant that causes and developed to catastrophic battery failures.
In these circumstances I believe, that of a political, ideological or economic interest in the safety of lithium-ion batteries don't you have someone, most ball and run an extensive independent survey to find out what happened and whether there are similar risks in the battery packs used by Fisker motors, Ford (F), Tesla Motors (TSLA), Nissan (NSANY.)PK), Toyota (TM) and others. I can only hope that an upcoming NHTSA technical symposium with battery manufacturers and automakers more rigorous regulatory oversight at the beginning will mark.

Borgia battery? Inaccurate descriptions of reporters? Prototype test a truly unique battery chemistry? Or simply a conventional automotive grade lithium ion battery, the boundaries of the design and not spectacular? The difference is understood to be, before we go much further.

This article was first published in the edition of spring 2012 the batteries international magazine and Publisher thank Mike halls and cartoonist Jan Darasz for their contributions.
Disclosure: None.