Lithium-ion batteries power everything from cell phones to electric vehicles. But they can combust suddenly and without warning. Researchers are trying to figure out how and why that happens.
A WYSO investigation uncovered that research was happening in Piqua, unbeknownst to many residents. They're concerned they were exposed to harmful chemicals.
From 2018 to 2023, what was known as a fire training site in Piqua also housed a prolific lithium-ion battery testing program. Part of what made it possible is that Ohio has few regulations around lithium-ion battery burning, treating it the same as burning farm fields.
Here’s what WYSO has learned.
- An Ohio company called Energy Safety Response Group, or ESRG, worked initially with Bowling Green State University to test what conditions made lithium-ion batteries catch on fire. Some of the batteries were as big as 40,000 pounds.
- City officials claimed it was one of only two such testing sites in the country, at least as of 2020.
- The way the program was authorized meant few people who live near the site knew it was happening or had a chance to oppose it.
- Unlike permits issued to manufacturers for polluting emissions, the authorization issued to Piqua meant no regular inspections or data reporting.
- A lithium-ion battery expert says this research is necessary to make sure this ubiquitous technology is safe. But it must be done responsibly.
Residents discovered what was happening
At a coffee shop in Piqua, Diane Parke and Alisha Lange thumb through hundreds of documents.
Lange said she and her neighbors in the Miami County city have led the effort to find out what’s been going on at the training center.
“There's just so many gaps. I just truly don't think we'll ever know,” Lange said.
Allowing these tests without more oversight put residents' health at risk, Lange said.
Currently no other sites in Ohio are authorized to burn lithium-ion batteries.
“That's just so disgusting that the leaders of our community are OK with these chemicals being released in an environment that is so readily accessible by citizens and the community,” she said.
Resident complaints eventually led to an Ohio EPA visit. The department ordered the company to cease testing, alleging it had installed unauthorized research equipment.
How did this happen?
The recipe for the Piqua burn site took several ingredients to come together: Bowling Green State University, the city of Piqua, and a state with lax regulations on burning batteries.
First, Bowling Green signed an agreement in 2018 to train firefighters in Piqua. This agreement gave the school, and a global company called DNV, exclusive rights to a testing facility in town.
A DNV spokesperson said the company hired others and observed them conducting battery safety tests at this location — they didn't confirm nor deny if Energy Safety Response Group was one of those contractors. But ESRG did conduct that type of testing. DNV also stated “its standards required that the tests be conducted in accordance with applicable industry standards and local regulatory requirements.“
ESRG and Bowling Green haven’t responded to multiple requests for comment.
The Ohio EPA also declined several interview requests, but it responded to questions by email and recorded statements. Bryant Somerville, an Ohio EPA spokesperson, said the fires were done under what’s called an open burn authorization.
“Ohio EPA issued permission for open burning involving lithium-ion batteries in Delaware County in 2017, before that operation was moved to Piqua in 2018,” Somerville said.
When burning batteries is legally like burning wood
This was the first time the state agency issued an open burn authorization for lithium-ion battery fires. The authorizations refer to it as “research and training.”
The Piqua fire department was authorized to complete these burns. Neither Bowling Green, ESRG nor DNV are mentioned in these authorizations.
Currently no other sites in Ohio are authorized to burn this material.
Companies from across North America, Europe and Asia have had their materials tested at the Piqua site, including Tesla, Enersys and Saft.
Open burn regulations ban some materials like dead animals and garbage. But they allow these batteries, treating them the same as burning wood or prairies. Transparency measures like public comments and local notification aren’t part of the open burn authorization process. Inspections of open burns also aren’t typical.
That meant, when residents saw or smelled smoke, they weren’t sure of the source. They began complaining to the Ohio EPA in May 2023.
Health concerns
A total of 17 complaints prompted the Ohio EPA and the Regional Air Pollution Control Agency to visit in September.
“The purpose was to gather information and ask questions about ESRG’s process,” Somerville said. The agencies allege ESRG had installed an unauthorized “burn room” and expanded the testing well beyond what was permitted, according to the site visit report.
This led the Ohio EPA to issue a notice of violation, calling it “a nuisance in the community." It revoked the city’s permit and ordered a stop to the burns.
To understand the danger these burns might have posed to the Piqua community, WYSO asked expert Michael Pecht to review the Ohio EPA’s site visit report.
“There's been historically a lot of concern about battery fires and the toxic nature of the batteries, and especially when they get heated up,” Pecht said, a University of Maryland professor who researches lithium-ion batteries. “How often the tests are conducted will make a difference, clearly. It results in more toxins in the air and more pollution.”
Pecht said based on his review of the report, he’d be concerned about what happened to the tested batteries, as well as the water that came into contact with the batteries.
“The destructive testing can result in fires and the opening of the battery. And there's the leakage, so to speak, of the contents within the battery,” Pecht said.
It's possible that residents' exposure to chemicals is even larger than what's been documented – WYSO found discrepancies within test documentation that suggest the company didn't record everything accurately.
ESRG told the Ohio EPA that tested batteries were recycled, the agency said.
Even so, Pecht said batteries can combust and let off emissions days after destructive testing — recycled or not.
“They do mention that (ESRG monitored) some of the pollutants. But the pollutants that they monitor don't include things like hydrogen fluoride and other potentially poisonous compounds that can arise,” he said.
Hydrogen fluoride is a corrosive acid, so it’s dangerous when inhaled. And Pecht said other metals such as aluminum, cobalt and nickel could also be released during destructive testing.
Residents have come to city commission meetings demanding to know more. So the city agreed to test the soil and water quality. And the Ohio EPA used modeling to evaluate potential air emissions.
The results indicate no lasting contamination. But the Ohio EPA acknowledges its own results contained “limited research and incomplete emission data.”
Lithium-ion batteries are emerging in relevance
Piqua residents might not have known about the testing — but those in the battery industry did.
“Though our initial mission was focused on emergency response and subject matter expertise, we got really busy with testing, advising, (and) helping people get systems in the ground,” said Nick Warner, founder of ESRG — and a former engineer with DNV — at the Energy Storage Association Conference in 2021.
In a draft state grant application, a former Piqua city engineer wrote “energy storage safety is a critical issue that threatens to stymie use” of this technology.
Companies from across North America, Europe and Asia have had their materials tested at the Piqua site, including Tesla, Enersys and Saft, according to emails WYSO obtained through a public records request.
WYSO also obtained logs documenting these tests. They record almost 130 tests between 2021 and 2023. Some involved batteries as large as 40,000 pounds.
It's possible that residents' exposure to chemicals is even larger than what's been documented — WYSO found discrepancies within test documentation that suggest the company didn't record everything accurately.
For example, a neighbor called 911 reporting heavy smoke on Nov. 11, 2022. A police report says workers performing battery tests caused an outbuilding to become “engulfed in flames.”
However, that test date doesn't appear on the spreadsheet compiling the test results.
Additionally, the Piqua fire department didn’t supervise the company’s activities. Former fire chief Brent Pohlschneider said city personnel weren’t on site when this testing took place, according to a video Lange recorded in November 2023 and shared with WYSO.
WYSO hasn’t been able to reach Pohlschneider. But WYSO confirmed with the Ohio EPA that Piqua firefighters weren’t on-site for the testing.
This type of testing is important, according to Pecht, the University of Maryland professor. But he said it has to be done responsibly.
“When you're doing the testing, you want to make sure that you're doing it in a safe manner. And that there's proper disposal and make sure that there's no contaminants in the air, poisons in the air — especially when you're doing destructive testing,” Pecht said. “And for the community, you would want to be transparent about what you're doing so everybody understands what the potential risks to the environment and to people's health are.”
City tries to extinguish concerns
Piqua city commissioners have started taking action. In addition to the environmental testing, they created a resident committee to investigate the fire training site. The group began meeting in April.
But some members told WYSO in May that they’ve been frustrated with restrictions on how they can interview staff members.
Piqua Mayor Kris Lee declined an interview but responded to questions in a recorded statement. He said this committee will share its findings.
“Ultimately the commission is hopeful that a citizen-led, independent review of the research activities at the site will put our residents’ minds at ease and provide us guidance on how to prevent a situation similar to this one from happening in the future,” Lee said.
And Piqua city commissioners banned the burning of batteries on city-owned property in late May.
WYSO asked why the city agreed to this testing.
“Regardless of the merits for or against the battery testing, the city’s position is to no longer permit it on city property,” Lee said in an email.
Other city actions have upset residents. Lange has been an outspoken critic of the battery burning program and frequently takes her concerns to Piqua City Commission meetings. Earlier this year, the city manager barred Lange and three others from those meetings.
The city manager cited their conduct. The mayor ordered Lange to leave a meeting in February.
“Alisha, you were asked not to yell out in the back. You can leave. See ya,” Lee said at the Piqua City Commission meeting on Feb. 6.
The residents sued in federal court, and the trespass notices were revoked.
Fire training resumes
“We understand that there's got to be trust. It has to be built. And that's what we're trying to do. But (on) the same token, like I said, I'm sending people into the worst situation here, and I have to make sure that these people are trained."
The pushback is coming at a critical juncture for the city. Now Piqua wants to use the training facility for its intended purpose — to train city safety crews. In April, the Piqua fire and police departments held an open house at the site.
Scott Ridenour attended. He lives less than a half mile away. He said he’s especially worried about what he could have been exposed to during the testing.
“I'm just concerned because I don't know what the actual whole truth is, so I'm concerned for our health, about my property values, the ability to maybe sell the property,” Ridenour said.
Piqua Assistant Fire Chief Tim Risner said the department wants things to be different going forward. That includes setting up a notification system to let residents know when fire training will take place.
“We understand that there's got to be trust. It has to be built. And that's what we're trying to do. But (on) the same token, like I said, I'm sending people into the worst situation here, and I have to make sure that these people are trained,” Risner said.
Bowling Green hasn’t participated in the battery testing since 2021. But it still uses the Piqua training facility for its programs and coursework.
In an email, the Ohio EPA said it will increase onsite inspections for both existing and new open burn permits.
Lange said the environmental agency never should have permitted this without knowing the risks involved.
“And it's upsetting because these are the organizations that are put in place to prevent this from happening. Yet it feels like they're allowing it,” Lange said.
Residents like her are still awaiting more information. Until then, they don’t plan to stop demanding answers.
