Battery Location vs Spare Tire

[thunderpuppy]

In discussing the new T-Bird with some coworkers, it was mentioned that the location of the battery, being adjacent to the spare tire, would cause the rubber on the tire to deteriorate over time due to the gasses venting from the battery.

My initial reaction was that modern batteries are sealed and wouldn't vent, but now I'm not so sure.

Any thoughts/experience with this?