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Important:
This safety advice concerns a potentially
dangerous issue which could cause physical harm
when using a high speed CD ROM. It explains
the dangers and tries to answer some FAQs.
The key points of this notice are:
- Do not use CD ROM discs that are cracked.
- If cracked CD ROM discs are used in high
speed CD ROM drives they can shatter and cause
injury.
- THIS IS NOT A MYTH
What is the problem?
It has been found that in very rare circumstances,
damaged or poor quality CD discs can explode when
used in high speed CD ROM drives (48X or
higher speed). The result is that the disc can
shatter and, in very exceptional circumstances,
fragments of the broken disc can be expelled
through the front cover of the drive at high
speed. This could cause serious physical
injury.
What is the solution to the problem?
- Users should check all dics before each use,
to ensure that they contain no cracks. If they
are cracked you should not use them.
You should especially look at the clear plastic
on the inner rim of the disc – cracks here are the
cause of disc shatter.
- Cracks are more likely in old poor quality
media which are made of more brittle materials.
Our care recommendations for CDs are:
- When not in use remove CDs from the
computer.
- Always store CDs in the packaging supplied
with them.
- Always store CDs out of direct sunlight,
and away from heat sources.
How can I find out more?
Use Google to search both the Web and News Groups
Also visit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD_shattering
http://www.rm.com/safety/
http://www.powerlabs.org/cdexplode.htm
http://gadgetopia.com/post/2086
http://www.vnunet.com/News/1134831
http://askbobrankin.com/exploding_cdroms.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0QT4Y1Y3ug
What does a cracked CD look like?
The illustration shows a portion of a CD ROM with
a small crack. This is an example of the kind of
crack you should examine your CDs for. You do not
need to discard CDs that only have light scratches
on the metallic surface of the CD.
An update on this issue.
CDs manufactured today (2011) are much more
flexible than those made earlier in the decade and
before. If an old CD is bent, it shatters
whereas if a modern CD is bent, it is
pliable and difficult to break and probably very
difficult to shatter. Beware of old discs
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