‘BOMBILE’ – Newest enemy to our sight? – A case series

As possession of a mobile phone becomes ubiquitous in the general population, its hazards, especially for vision, should be better known and understood. Although blast injuries are common in war, gas cooking and with firecrackers, mobile phone blasts, popularly known as BOMBILE (Blast of Mobile Battery in the Living Eye), are becoming more and more frequent. We present three cases phone battery explosion diagnosed with ocular surface burn. Although none had severe injuries and vision was salvageable and no visual or cosmetic impairment resulted, this may not always be so. Public education, producer liability, and better technological solutions are urgently required to lessen the risks.

Metrological evaluation of efficiency and consumption of domestic gas cooking appliances

This study evaluates the results of efficiency and consumption tests on gas household appliances and their influence on the classification of the Brazilian Labeling Program. Historically, based on results in interlaboratory comparisons, there is a doubt concerning if the algorithms correct properly the differences among different altitudes. Data from efficiency and consumption tests were collected in two cities with different altitudes, and the proposed calculation methodology is compared with the traditional one. The results show that the arithmetic average, used in the calculation of the efficiency of the burners on the stove table, justifies being replaced by the weighted average, after evaluating the behaviour of the data and treating outliers. The uncertainty of the efficiency and consumption tests was not enough to change the classification range of the product's energy efficiency label. It is concluded that statistically a difference is observed between the results at sea level and at altitude above sea level; since the tests were applied by the same operator using the same apparatus, the only parameter that leaves a doubt is the algorithms for the correction of the altitude. Shortly, this study will be part of a revised Brazilian standard.