Is It Safe to Use a Cell Phone While Pumping Gas?

            This myth stems from occurrences where the gas pump caught on fire while the person using the gas pump was talking on a cell phone.  As the person was talking on his phone, he was suddenly surrounded in flames.  It is controversial because there can be many other factors that could have caused this.  Also in original reports written by firemen about what caused the fire, the firemen had said that it was because the person at the gas pump was talking on his cell phone.



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There have been multiple reports saying that using a cell phone while pumping gas can make a fire or explosion occur.  The idea is that answering your cell phone while filling up you car with gas can cause the cell phone to ignite the vapors coming from the car’s fuel tank.  Gas stations have even posted signs up saying to turn your cell phone off while using the gas pump. Others have even banned using the cell phones at the gas station completely.



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            However, even though multiple reports have been made saying that cell phones have touched off explosions, it is not true.  There have been no instances where this has been proven, including an attempt by the popular television show Mythbusters.  Experts have stated that cell phones are far too weak to ignite these fumes.   It doesn’t mean that it is not possible; however it has just simply never happened yet.  The cases have been either not have any evidence to support the claim or have had another real reason for setting off an explosion.



            Static electricity has been the main culprit for many of these events.  Experts have discovered that, although it is rare, static electricity has been able to ignite gas fumes.  Any person is able to generate static electricity by getting in and out of their car.  Even in its rarity, static electricity is what can cause fumes to ignite at gas stations, not cell phones.  It is safe to use cell phones while pumping gas.



Works Cited



Hunter, Greg. "Can Cell Phones Cause Fires at Gas Pump?" ABC. N.p., 17 May 2010.



     Web. 18 Sept. 2010. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=127836&page=1.

"Fuelish Pleasures." Snopes. N.p., 12 Nov. 2006. Web. 18 Sept. 2010.



     <http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/gasvapor.asp>.