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May 9th, 2005 03:01 PM #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.
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May 9th, 2005 03:11 PM #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
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May 9th, 2005 03:13 PM #5Originally Posted by the_wildthing
Korek, it was already proven by Mythbusters that using cellphones while filling up gas does not and will not trigger explosions.
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May 9th, 2005 04:02 PM #6
static energy is the main cause of explosions or fires in gasoline stations, well according to discovery channel... specially in cold countries.
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May 9th, 2005 04:22 PM #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...
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May 9th, 2005 04:29 PM #8Originally Posted by happy_gilmore
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May 9th, 2005 04:31 PM #9
yup, saw that episode by myth busters. cfnes won't ignite gasoline to cause an explosion.
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May 9th, 2005 04:40 PM #10Originally Posted by happy_gilmore
as an aside, in the olden days, anyone who does not move 'ala luksa during Holy Week, especially...
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