Is it a fact that using a cell phone while filling up a vehicle at a gas station could trigger a fire or even an explosion? The flood of warnings about the great risks of using cell phones in the presence of gasoline fumes at gas stations began to spread on the Internet back in 1999, when an a car driver in Indonesia turned into a human fireball as the result of an explosion at a gas station. But why cell phone use is widely banned at gas stations today?
A lot of studies had been conducted and experts at the Center for the Study of Wireless Electromagnetic Compatibility at the University of Oklahoma said there was virtually no evidence that suggested that cell phones posed a hazard at gas stations. While it might be “theoretically possible for a spark from a cell phone battery to ignite gas vapor,” The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) concluded the potential threat was remote.
However, gas stations around the world had put many stickers cautioning drivers to turn off their cell phones when filling up their vehicles. Today, all major oil companies have also take a preventive measure and ban the use of cell phones at gas stations.
Now, what is the likely cause of fires at the gas stations? According to the Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI), static electricity discharge is a major culprit.
Is Static Electricity the Culprit?
Many experts believe that it is the static electricity, and not the cell phones, that cause the fire. Static fires at the gas stations are rare events, but yes they do happen. The Petroleum Equipment Institute reported on its website that it had received counted hundreds of reports to date of gas stations fires attributed to static electricity.
Steve Fowler, an electrical engineer from Fowler Associates, said cell phone signals were far too weak to ignite even explosive gasoline fumes. He and Jim Farr, a fire marshal from Gaston County, N.C., studied static fire and said that our body could build up a static charge in many different ways, for example when we were getting in and out of our vehicle. "When you rub the carpet with your feet, you could get up to 35,000 volts," Fowler said. "In a car situation we have seen as high as 60,000 volts."
That voltage is enough to catch gas fumes on fire, Fowler said. As for a cell phone or cell phone battery sparking a fire, both Fowler and Farr said it was theoretically possible but not probable.
Although cell phones may not actually be the cause of a fire at the gas stations, experts all agree consumers should take the appropriate precautions. Follow these tips and those posted by the gas stations to avoid static fires and reduce unnecessary risks:
- Do not get back in your car until you are finished filling up your vehicle.
- When you get out of the car, get rid of any static charge before you reach for the pump. That could be as simple as tapping the metal top of your car with your bare hand.
- Experts say if a fire does start, never take the gas nozzle out of your car. That is the surest way to turn a bad situation into a tragedy. Everyone who has been hurt, injured, or has been killed, has pulled that nozzle out.
- Never fill portable containers in or on a vehicle. Instead, put them on the ground. Like a person, a container can also become statically charged. If the earth's not there to absorb the voltage, the can itself may spark.
- Turn off the engine.
Now, think twice before answering or making calls with your cell phone at the pump. Despite the fact that cell phone use is now banned at gas stations, you can always call back later. Safety is everybody's business.
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Via verizonwireless, abcnews,
Photo: Freeimages.com/Henrik Linder
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