Can Cell Phones Ignite Gasoline Vapors?

Iphtashu Fitz writes "Matthew Erhorn was filling his car with gasoline outside of New Paltz, NY when when he flipped open his cell phone to answer a call. The next thing he knew he was engulfed by a ball of fire. Luckily for Erhorn a quick thinking employee hit the emergency fire suppression system and he ended up with only minor burns. Firefighters investigating the accident concluded that the cell phone triggered the fire. Experts at The Petroluum Equipment Institute disagree however, attributing the fire to static electricity. Since 1992 the PEI has documented 158 cases of gas pump fires believed to have been started by static electricity. Apparently cell phone signals are too weak to ignite gasoline vapors, but the human body can generate enough static electiricy (60,000 volts) from simply sliding out of your car seat to do just that. Do you pay attention to all those signs at the gas pump telling you to to make sure your car, cell phone, PDA, pacemaker, etc. are all turned off before you start pumping?"

i don't want to be a fireball

[Anonymous Coward]

no more self-service stations for me.

Well, our farts aren't exploding...

[SYFer]

They're flammable and they originate mere inches from our cell phones.

Ah... technology

[Professeur Shadoko]

Another proof that the modern world is a dangerous place.

It was so much safer when native americans used smoke signals to communicate.

I always turn off my gadgets..

[StormyWeather]

before pumping.. I hate being interrupted..

It can

[Timesprout]

If the phone is on fire.

Re:Urban Myth!

[Honig the Apothecary]

It was on last night as a matter of fact.

Now, lets seem them tackle the Cell Phone/plane interaction problem. Anybody got a few large airliners that the Mythbusters can use for a few weeks.... :)

Honig

Pacemaker?

[Anonymous Coward]

all those signs at the gas pump telling you to to make sure your car, cell phone, PDA, pacemaker, etc.

Turn off you PACEMAKER? What?

Re:Well, our farts aren't exploding...

[Anonymous Coward]

if your cellphone is only inches from your farts i would suggest you are holding it wrong

Re:It's not using the cellphone

[ScottGant]

But then wouldn't they also post warnings about anything metal around the gas pumps? Don't drop your keys, they could make a spark on the asphalt...slight chance to be sure, but possible. Also, what if you carry around a lot of flint in your pocket, and you go and get your money out and a few pieces of flint fall to the asphalt or concrete and make a spark? They don't say anything about not carrying flint in your pockets!

Next you'll hear them telling us not to light up a smoke near the pump. Now that's just silly.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:Exactly how would a mobile phone ignite it?

[shadowcabbit]

On ther other hand, I have seen sparks while my statically charged body touched the ground (shell) of the car,

That may be a problem with the electrical system in your car. Mine does the same thing very nearly every time I get out of the car, and it's become progressively more painful. I figure my car is either trying to tell me two things: a) "Don't take corners at 45mph, John, I don't like it when you do that" or b) "I have a serious problem that demands your attention, John, so stop buying video games and food and drive me to the god damn garage".

Re:It's not using the cellphone

[ThaReetLad]

I think the point about cell phones is that when they ring there is an opportunity for a spark, which could ignite the vapours. IIRC on the old style mobiles back in the early 90's the manual used to suggest you shouldn't use them if you're carrying explosives in the car, which was obviously an issue in Ireland at the time.

Re:i don't want to be a fireball

[danormsby]

Just do as advised... "make sure your car, cell phone, PDA, pacemaker, etc. are all turned off before you start pumping"

Make sure your pacemaker is switched off on your next visit.

Move to New Jersey

[Nerf97A4]

Heck, we're not allowed to pump the gas (and it's still cheaper than most places nearby).

No getting out of the car, no static, no death from fireball.

And I can talk on my cell phone, too.

Re:Well, our farts aren't exploding...

[horza]

They're flammable and they originate mere inches from our cell phones.

You must be from Europe. I hear that in the USA the distance tends to be that little bit further.

Phillip.

Re:i don't want to be a fireball

[rodney dill]

Too late, you are already flamebait

Re:It's not using the cellphone

[linuxelf]

I thought they did it because cellphones are so damn annoying. When you're pumping gas, you're a captive audience. I don't care to hear your new ring tone, or hear your heated phone conversation. And when I'm waiting in line behind you, I want you to pump your gas, and move on, not sit around talking on the phone.

The main thing to consider

[Hammer]

There is a miniscule risk that you will get a broken cellfone to produce a big enough spark (that is big in size and duration).

There is an equally small chance that the starter of your engine will NOT create that spark when you start your car after filling...

Hence, to minimize risk of fire prohibit starting of your engine at gasstations :-D

Re:Urban Myth!

[David Horn]

They tested this on Brainiac (a science show in the UK). They filled a caravan with petrol vapour and mobile phones, and then rang them.

Nothing happened but a symphony of ring tones. However, they repeated the experiment by connecting a wire to an earth inside the caravan, then making their tester jump around in a nylon suit some distance away. He was standing in a plastic bucket to preserve the charge.

Finally, he touched the other end of the wire leading to the caravan, a spark jumped, and the caravan exploded.

So it goes to show - far safer to talk on a mobile phone at a petrol station than to wear a tracksuit. ;)

PS - How do you get back in your car while refueling? Don't you need to squeeze the handle of the pump in the US?

Re:The myths of urban myths.

[Anonymous Coward]

Nylon rubbing against cotton in a dry environment is a midget lightning storm

I'm sure I've seen that porno... it's one of Russ Meyer's, isn't it?

Re:Urban Myth!

[Dmala]

I don't think it's a doppler issue.

It's definitely not a doppler issue. Drivers on the Massachusetts Turnpike routinely use their cellphones at speeds in excess of 100mph, often while reading the paper or putting on makeup.

I use my phone to jam the pump open!

[dos4who]

Seriously.. A lot of gas stations have removed the little tab for jamming the pump handle on, so sometimes I use my 2nd cell phone (a cheap Nokia model) to jam the squeeze handle open.

Yes.. I leave it turned on. No, it has never rung while doing so...

~m

Re:Urban Myth!

[Anonymous Coward]

But anyone who thinks this is a stupid thing to have to hold the pump the whole damn time knows that shoving your gas cap into the handle will hold the valve open for you, allowing you to clean your windshield/windscreen and/or do other things than get your hand smelling like gasoline.

This isn't a photograph of your car [muohio.edu] by any chance?