TSA Restricts Lithium Batteries as of 1/1/08

Has anyone seen this thread on cc? Here is the link (you might need to cut and paste it).

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=680769

It sounds confusing. How do you figure out how much lithium is in a battery? (And how will the TSA inspectors know?) I just checked my computer and the battery is lithium, but I have no idea how much of this now supposedly dangerous chemical is actually in the battery. Will TSA just try to confiscate laptop batteries? (My camera battery is lithium also but is very small so I will not worry about it.)

Can you imagine the confusion as people go through the TSA lines?

Any info would be great.

Merril

Merril, I read it as "loose batteries", which I wouldn't think most of us carry anyway. I know that I contain all the rechargeable batteries that I carry in some kind of bag, so that they don't roll all around and get lost. Sometimes I just keep a spare set in the battery charger.

Merril, the message I posted on the other string indicates that the battery is OK as long as it's in the device. So, if you're carrying your laptop or camera with the batteries in, that should not be a concern. Most of us don't check those, but they won't count against the 2-battery limit as long as they're in the device. I sometimes carry a back-up battery for my camera, so that will have to be in a separate plastic bag and carried on.