Air travelers must now pack their electric toothbrushes in carry-on luggage under new Transportation Security Administration guidance aimed at preventing lithium battery fires.
This comes as the Federal Aviation Administration also released a new alert emphasizing the importance of keeping lithium batteries in the cabin, where they can be monitored.
Lithium batteries pose a fire risk because they can ignite unexpectedly. The FAA is urging travelers to keep devices with built-in batteries, or the batteries themselves, in easily accessible places within the cabin.
If a lithium battery does ignite during flight, having it in the cabin allows the flight crew or firefighters to address the issue quickly, officials said.
Batteries stored in checked luggage would be inaccessible during the flight, making it impossible to respond to a fire emergency.
The new guidance applies to all devices containing lithium batteries, not just electric toothbrushes.
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