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  1. Join Date
    Aug 2004
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    1,140
    #1
    Cutting off mobile phone calls when you drive into a petrol station for fear of causing an explosion may not be necessary after all, it emerged today.

    Rachel Williams, PA
    news.scotsman.com


    Cutting off mobile phone calls when you drive into a petrol station for fear of causing an explosion may not be necessary after all, it emerged today.

    According to a paper to be presented later this week the commonly held belief that a spark from a phone could ignite petrol fumes is nothing but myth.


    The “phantom risk” has apparently been created through a heady mix of rumour spread by the internet and word of mouth, and excessive concerns over safety.

    Dr Adam Burgess, of the University of Kent, will tell the annual conference of the British Sociological Association that not one of the 243 petrol station fires attributed to mobiles worldwide in 11 years was actually the result of such a spark.

    Instead, many were found on investigation by BP’s fire safety officer Richard Coates to have been caused by the discharge of static electricity from the body igniting fumes.

    “The petrol station/mobile phone story crosses into the realm of rumour and urban legend,” Dr Burgess said.

    “It’s properly groundless, a story of health and safety gone mad.

    “Even on an oil rig the only real reason not to use a mobile is because of the issue of distraction.”

    Forecourt bans on mobiles were first introduced in the aftermath of the Piper Alpha tragedy of 1988, where 167 men died off the coast of Scotland after the explosion of a gas processor on an oil and gas production platform.

    Dr Burgess says the event gave “shape and momentum” to the drive towards ever-greater safety.

    “It was possible in this climate of systematic risk reduction for the restriction on cell phone usage to be introduced without any challenge,” he writes.

    “The ban was not based upon any scientific research, but a relatively instinctive precautionary response from those charged with responsibility for safety at British service stations.”

    When manufacturers such as Motorola and Nokia printed warnings in their manuals not to use mobiles at petrol stations because of the risk of fire the idea was given further credence, and has since proved hard to dispel despite recent research showing “there is nothing to worry about”.

    Dr Burgess says a lit cigarette is not hot enough to ignite petrol on a filling station, let alone the low voltage of a mobile.

    In the UK, he says, there is now official acknowledgement of the lack of evidence and the principle issue against using phones on the forecourt is that it might distract the customer, yet confusion and misunderstanding prevail.

    “There appears to be no desire on the part of oil companies or UK safety officers to clarify the issue,” he complains.

    “In practice the restriction continues to be enforced on the basis that there is something inherently dangerous about the cell phone in such an environment.

    “Cell phones remain a mysterious, unexplained hazard at the gas station.”
    Last edited by silver_corolla; May 9th, 2005 at 03:08 PM.

  2. Join Date
    Dec 2003
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    11,317
    #2
    guilty ako dto...

  3. Join Date
    Jan 2004
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    3,362
    #3
    Parang nadebunk na rin ito ng Mythbusters duo...

  4. Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Posts
    1,140
    #4
    there's nothing wrong at all turning your mobile phone while filling gasoline on your tank. black propaganda lang ng mga petroleum players yan dahil sa totoo lang pwede ma mis calibrate ang reading ng metro nila dahil sa interference ng mobile cellfone mo. hehe.... :D

  5. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    2,716
    #5
    Quote Originally Posted by the_wildthing
    Parang nadebunk na rin ito ng Mythbusters duo...

    Korek, it was already proven by Mythbusters that using cellphones while filling up gas does not and will not trigger explosions.

  6. #6
    static energy is the main cause of explosions or fires in gasoline stations, well according to discovery channel... specially in cold countries.

  7. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    15,528
    #7
    what about non-turning off of the engines while filling up? minsan kasi nakipag-away ako about dyan eh. ang init ng panahon and i was riding with my kid na may skin asthma, tapos hirit ba naman sa akin nung gas boy eh kung ayaw ko patayin makina ko, pakarga na lang daw ako sa iba...

  8. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    3,883
    #8
    Quote Originally Posted by happy_gilmore
    what about non-turning off of the engines while filling up? minsan kasi nakipag-away ako about dyan eh. ang init ng panahon and i was riding with my kid na may skin asthma, tapos hirit ba naman sa akin nung gas boy eh kung ayaw ko patayin makina ko, pakarga na lang daw ako sa iba...
    tado yung gas boy na iyon ah...kung ako dealer ng station na iyon palalaklakin ko sya ng gasolina eh ...sentimo na nga lang kinikita ko dyan eh mawawalan pa ako ng customer di ko kaya siya swelduhan he he ...ako di ko pinapansin kahit sabihin sa akin iyon (pasaway din ako eh he he)

  9. Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Posts
    687
    #9
    yup, saw that episode by myth busters. cfnes won't ignite gasoline to cause an explosion.

  10. Join Date
    Aug 2004
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    1,140
    #10
    Quote Originally Posted by happy_gilmore
    what about non-turning off of the engines while filling up? minsan kasi nakipag-away ako about dyan eh. ang init ng panahon and i was riding with my kid na may skin asthma, tapos hirit ba naman sa akin nung gas boy eh kung ayaw ko patayin makina ko, pakarga na lang daw ako sa iba...
    same sentiment HG. pissed off din ako sa mga gasoline boy na ganyan. pero awa ng diyos hindi pa naman ako pinapalipat ng ibang gasolinahan.... hehe.... yung iba kasing gasoline boy napapaki-usapan ko yung iba naman mahigpit talaga... e madali naman akong kausap kaya pinapatay ko din engine ko.... harhar... pero kadalasan pinapatay ko ang engine ko kapag mag-isa lang ako sa kotse, kapag kasama ko si misis at si baby namin hindi ko pinapatay ang makina until he (gaso boy) told me to do so pero with pakiusap na yon na pwedeng wag na lang.

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Mobile Phones and Gasoline Stations [MERGED]