Passenger Flights Must Stop Carrying Lithium-Ion Batteries as Cargo - The Daily Beast

Passenger Flights Must Stop Carrying Lithium-Ion Batteries as Cargo - The Daily Beast

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My Two Cents

 True, The fact is that Lithium batteries are not safe, but the concern is not about legally prepared and tendered batteries.  The real problem, particularly in Asia, is with illegally prepared and tendered shipments of batteries or counterfeit batteries.  

If you impose more restrictions to impede shippers from shipping, or you raise the cost, unscrupulous shippers will do so illegally and this is often seen in some parts of the world.  More regulation will be the cause of greater risk as shippers know that actual enforcement is difficult and they will skirt the law to get around the increased costs involved with shipping properly.  

As someone with 25 years of freighter and hazmat experience, I find the argument that the batteries had anything to do with MH370 to be weak.  This article poses one point of view, from one of the extreme viewpoints.  They are dangerous, but so are many other things we allow to be carried on aircraft.  The point is, through proper packaging and preparation, the risk is mitigated.  

Keep it simple, easy to understand and do not compromise safety, the risk is mitigated to its lowest point.