Millions of people do it … yet no-one seems to really know why.

We’re talking about the craze of carrying mobile phones in back pockets. It seems to be about the least safe place you could possibly put it. Easy to steal, easy to drop and easy to crush. That’s three negatives straightaway.

And one of the biggest dangers is you could end up literally burning a hole in your pocket … and your backside. For there is always the danger that faulty lithium-ion batteries that power the phone could overheat and then catch fire.

It happens. At least three people in the USA have suffered burns from their phones catching fire in recent years.

Every time people sit down with a phone in their pocket there is the potential to crush it, damaging the battery. Or it could fall out of the pocket and break as it hits the ground and those who are really unlucky may need to fish theirs out of the toilet. Afterwards.

Batteries can also become faulty because people use either cheap or the wrong chargers to power them up. Few people know that some manufacturer-authorised chargers will cycle the power to the battery on and off before it is fully charged to avoid overcharging. But ultra-fast chargers may not cycle power so it’s best to avoid them unless the manufacturer’s instructions include them as an option.

Some on the web claim there’s a risk from radiation too from phones that could potentially harm your health.

But not so according to the NHS. On its website it states: “Concerns have been expressed that prolonged or frequent exposure to radio waves might increase a person’s risk of health problems such as cancer. However, most current research suggests it’s unlikely that radio waves from phones or base stations increase the risk of any health problems.

“Radio waves from mobile phones are a type of low-energy, non-ionising electromagnetic radiation – a class of radiation that also includes visible light, ultraviolet and infrared radiation.”

So will the ‘backsiders’ carry on putting their behinds – and phones - at risk? Probably.

* Written by Andy Hirst from AH! PR (www.ah-pr.com) which does all the PR and marketing for AvSax fire containment bags now carried on 13,500 planes worldwide to deal with fires on board caused by faulty lithium-ion batteries in devices such as mobile phones and laptops.

* Written by Andy Hirst at AH! PR http://www.ah-pr.com/