Cellphone How To

I came accross this article about cell phone myths, and most of the ones they listed I already knew about. The one that surprised me was the about cell phones being dangerous at the gas pump. We all get those urban myth chain forwared-a-friend emails about the dangers of using a cell phone at a gas pump. But for some reason it seems like I'd actually read or heard about accounts in the news where there was a fire at the gas pump caused by a cell phone. After I read that aritcle saying it was a cell phone myth, I decided to go over to snopes myself and find it if it was urban myth or truth.

Turns out I was wrong - it's myth! There has never been a single verified account in the media (worldwide) of someone causing a fire at a gas pump with a cell phone, NOT ONE! Even if it were possible - the battery in the cell phone doesn't have enough voltage to ingite anything - including gas vapor! I want you to think about this for a second..."IF" if were possible - what about the 12 volt batter of a car? It has way more power than a cell phone battery, so if this were an issue - why wouldn't a car battery igniting on one side of a pump (while someone was fueling on the other) cause a fire?

The simple fact is all the "fuel pump fires" have occurred becuase of static electricity discharge. You know, when you touch something and it gives you a "poke". There have been very few isolated incidents where stagnant gas vapor was ignited by a static discharge causing a fuel pump fire - but these incidents had nothing to do with a cell phone! So "pass this on" to your friend and family - you can't start a fuel pump fire with a cell phone - PERIOD! And note even the Snopes articles comments on the fact that even though this isn't remotely possible, nearly all gas stations have a warning sticker telling you not to use your phone. One state is even proposing legislation making it illegal to use a cell phone at a gas station. Now how's that for an urban myth gone wild!