BreakTheChain.org
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Ring, Ring, BOOM!Date Added: Jan. 20, 2003
More of us are using cellular phones everyday, but few of us actually understand the technology. It is this lack of knowledge that makes cautionary tales like this one travel far and wide. No need to prove this wrong, do we!!!! DO NOT use your hand phone while pumping petrol. Even if you're NOT USING it keep it in the car. There has been 3 cases so far. Case 1 - 2 months ago at a petrol station in Bandar Sri Damansara. The car owner put his hand phone on the boot and started pumping. The phone rang and the car caught fire from the fumes coming out of the tank. Case 2 - A man got his face burnt while talking on the phone as he was pumping petrol. Case 3 - A man burnt his crotch area because the phone was in his pants pocket and rang while pumping petrol. Using a hands-free WILL NOT reduce the risk. KEEP IT IN THE CAR.
Apparently it is the key pad or ringer that produces a small amount of electricity spark, enough to ignite the petrol fumes. Please take note and forward this to your friends. It ain't no joke! Just the other day, I stopped at the local Speedway to gas up. My eye was drawn to a notice on the pump warning about cellular phone use and advising you to do exactly what the letter above says "keep it in the car." So, I ran home and checked my phone's user guide, where I found the following caution: "Turn off your phone when you are in any area with a potentially explosive atmosphere. It is rare, but your phone or its accessories could generate sparks. Sparks could cause an explosion or a fire resulting in bodily injury or even death. "Areas with a potentially explosive atmosphere include fueling areas such as gas stations; below deck on boats; fuel or chemical transfer or storage facilities; areas where the air contains chemicals or particles such as grain, dust or metal powders; and any other area where you would normally be advised to turn off your vehicle engine." While there appears to be evidence backing up the possibility of cell-phone sparks setting off fires, We still have little reason to believe the cases cited above are real. The warning above is a shortened version of a 1999 Bangkok Post article that told the story of an Indonesian man who was burned in this fashion. However, that report was a third-hand retelling of the events, and provided no more validating evidence than this e-mail does. The other "cases" have been added as the chain circulates and have no validity, as there source is not identified. Thomas O'Leary of Shell Oil Products U.S. told BreakTheChain.org that there are no known cases of cell phones sparking fires at the pumps: "The American Petroleum Institute (www.api.org) issued a bulletin in 2000 stating that they "have no information about any actual confirmed incidents involving consumers using cell phones while refueling in the U.S.," and has not, therefore, issued any consumer advisory on this issue. Regardless, it is prudent for consumers to pay attention to the refueling process rather than being distracted by other activities." So, is there a chance your cell phone could blow up your local gas station? Possibly. Is it a common occurrence? Certainly not. Should you use this letter to warn your friends and family about the risk? Definitely not. Break this chain! References: Snopes.com |