Rep. Israel: More hoverboard safety research needed
Rep. Steve Israel is calling for more research on the safety of hoverboards, which have been blamed for at least 10 fires around the country. Israel is urging the Department of Energy to look into
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Dec 16, 2015, 4:15 AM
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Updated 3,298 days ago
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Rep. Steve Israel is calling for more research on the safety of hoverboards, which have been blamed for at least 10 fires around the country.
Israel is urging the Department of Energy to look into the safety of hoverboard batteries.
"I want to make sure that when one of my constituents buys [a hoverboard], that they know that the technology is not going to be a hazard to their homes," says Rep. Israel.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating the fires, which are believed to have been caused by the product's lithium ion batteries.
Some hoverboards have Underwriters Laboratories- or UL-recognized components, but the safety organization says it's never certified a hoverboard in its entirety.
"UL has not been asked to certify hoverboards," Donald Talka, of UL, tells News 12 Long Island.
Swagway, which provided News 12 with a hoverboard for a holiday gift segment, says on its website that it is UL-certified. The company did not respond when News 12 called to ask them about UL denying that claim.
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