Cell Phones and Gasoline Fires

I was pumping gas the other day, and the young lady pumping gas next to me was talking on the cell phone.  I had heard about cell phones starting gasoline fires and explosions at the pump, so I was quite concerned for my safety.  I have even been at gas stations that display a warning about cell phones and pumping gas.  I always leave my cell phone in the car when I am pumping gas.  I tend to pull it off my belt and stick it in the cup holder while I am driving so it is no big deal to just leave it in the car.  If I am on a call, I will usually just sit in the car and finish before getting out to pump gas.

This experience gave me an idea to write an article on cell phones and gasoline fires.  But, rather than just spout off about the topic, I decided to look up some information.  I want to be able to make informed comments and opinions.  Well, I was somewhat surprised to find out that the whole cell phone and gasoline fire is possibly a myth. 

It seems that some of the news reports were actually reported soon after the fire before any formal investigation was conducted.  While a cell phone was in use, it was not found to be causative.  In fact, I was unable to find any reports of cell phones causing a fire directly.  The Petroleum Equipment Institute has also not received any reports of a cell phone causing a fire at the gasoline pump.  Apparently, the myth has been perpetuated on the internet via email warnings that get forwarded from one individual to another.  My wife will frequently check these email warnings against snopes.com, but I must not have gotten the memo that it was a hoax.  In fact, the popular Discovery Channel show Mythbusters failed to start a gasoline fire with a cell phone on two separate episodes.

While the internet has been used to perpetuate this urban legend, it also enables one to gather the necessary information to make an informed decision.  So, while cell phones have not been shown to cause gasoline fires, static electricity can.  Don’t get back into your car while pumping gas.  Rubbing against the seat can cause a build-up of static electricity that can ignite gasoline fumes if discharged.  If you must get back into your car, please touch a piece of metal away from the gas tank to discharge any static electricity.  I certainly knew about this advice but was surprised to learn the truth about cell phones.  Nevertheless, I still think I will leave it in the car.