|
Like everybody else I have seen plenty of leaking alkaline and zinc carbon cells. Since they are normally user accessible, as long as you are careful to not leave batteries in equipment the problem is manageable.
The more serious issue is NiCad cells and batteries. I collect old computer gear and the first thing I do now is open them up and remove the NiCad batteries as they are VERY corrosive when they start gassing. The problem is these batteries were soldered in as they were expected to last the life of the equipment. 1980's TV's, some test equipment and anything else that relies on battery backed up memory is at risk. A lot of 1990's era computer equipment is now scrap due to severe damage caused by gassy NiCads.
So far I haven't seen any problems with old Lithium cells as used in later computers and old Apple Macs. I still pull the cells whenever I can though as a precaution.
|