CAN CELL PHONES BE DEADLY AT THE GAS STATION?


By: Chat V. Dang, MD

September 08, 2003

A well-meaning friend recently sent me an email warning about the danger of using a cell phone while refueling at the gas station. The email stated the following:

Dangers of Cell Phones

The Shell Oil Company recently issued a warning after three incidents in which mobile phones (cell phones) ignited fumes during fueling operations.

The email went on to say, “Don't ever use cell phones when pumping gas.” The email ended with, “The Petroleum Equipment Institute, along with several other companies now are really trying to make the public aware of this danger.” You can find out more information by going to http://www.pei.org/. Once here, click where it says "Stop Static.”

Quite concerned and somewhat curious, I clicked on the pei.org link, and this led me to a related link http://www.wired.com/news/wireless/0,1382,58188,00.html

“The message is nothing but an urban legend,” say representatives from the wireless and petroleum industries. But it's clearly one with legs: It has made the rounds online for the past three years, according to Snopes.com, a website dedicated to debunking urban myths. For its part, Shell denied that it ever issued any kind of warning against cell-phone use in gas stations. "This e-mail has been circulating on the Internet for some time now," said Shell spokeswoman Stephanie Johnson. "We can't vouch for the events it describes, or the source of the e-mail."

However, it has been found that “the primary way consumers can avoid static electricity problems at the gas pump is to stay outside the vehicle while refueling. It may be a temptation to get back in the car when it’s cold, or for any number of reasons. But the average fill-up takes only two minutes, and staying outside the vehicle will greatly minimize the likelihood of any build-up of static electricity that could be discharged at the nozzle.”

http://www.pei.org/news/static.htm.