A report today from WBAL-TV in Baltimore says a warning against using cell phones near gas pumps was 'initially thought to be an urban legend,' but now 'some people are saying it should be taken seriously.'
Citing documented cases in which static electricity has caused fires at service stations, Robert Sinclair of AAA told WBAL there's a 'remote possibility' that a cell phone could generate a spark and ignite gasoline vapors. He added that most gas stations now have signs warning against the use of cell phones while refueling and some cell phone manufacturers have included similar warnings in consumer manuals.
Certainly consumers should play it safe and obey these posted warnings, but it behooves me to point out that there's nothing new about them, nor has anything occurred in the past several years to change the central fact that there has never been a single confirmed case of a gasoline fire sparked by a mobile phone anywhere in the world, despite persistent Internet rumors to the contrary.
More importantly, consumers need to be aware of industry warnings not currently posted in service stations to the effect that static electricity caused by such factors as re-entering and exiting a vehicle during refueling has been proven to cause gasoline fires.
More: Safety at Service Stations. Stop Static: A Safety Campaign. Chevron Safety Guidelines.
Citing documented cases in which static electricity has caused fires at service stations, Robert Sinclair of AAA told WBAL there's a 'remote possibility' that a cell phone could generate a spark and ignite gasoline vapors. He added that most gas stations now have signs warning against the use of cell phones while refueling and some cell phone manufacturers have included similar warnings in consumer manuals.
Certainly consumers should play it safe and obey these posted warnings, but it behooves me to point out that there's nothing new about them, nor has anything occurred in the past several years to change the central fact that there has never been a single confirmed case of a gasoline fire sparked by a mobile phone anywhere in the world, despite persistent Internet rumors to the contrary.
More importantly, consumers need to be aware of industry warnings not currently posted in service stations to the effect that static electricity caused by such factors as re-entering and exiting a vehicle during refueling has been proven to cause gasoline fires.
More: Safety at Service Stations. Stop Static: A Safety Campaign. Chevron Safety Guidelines.
Comments