VERY IMPORTANT...PLEASE READ!

[Ed Lim]

Hey Yall, Got this email today:

Apparently, this is true...any comments???

The Shell Oil Company recently issued a warning after three incidents in which mobile phones (cell phones) ignited fumes during fueling operations. In the first case, the phone was placed on the car's trunk lid during fueling; it rang and the ensuing fire destroyed the car and the gasoline pump.

In the second, an individual suffered severe burns to their face when fumes ignited as they answered a call while refueling their car.

And in the third, an individual suffered burns to the thigh and groin as fumes ignited when the phone, which was in their pocket, rang while they were fueling their car.

You should know that:
Mobile Phones can ignite fuel or fumes

Mobile phones that light up when switched on or when they ring release enough energy to provide a spark for ignition

Mobile phones should not be used in filling stations, or when fueling lawn mowers, boat! , Etc.

Mobile phones should not be used, or should be turned off, around other materials that generate flammable or explosive fumes or dust, (i.e. solvents, chemicals, gases, grain dust, etc.)

To sum it up, here are the: Four Rules for Safe Refueling

1) Turn off engine
2) Don't smoke
3) Don't use your cell phone - leave it inside the vehicle or turn it off
4) Don't re-enter your vehicle during fueling

Bob Renkes of Petroleum Equipment Institute is working on a campaign to try and make people aware of fires as a result of"static electricity" at gas pumps. His company has researched 150 cases of these fires.

His results were very surprising:
1) Out of 150 cases, almost all of them were women.
2) Almost all cases involved the person getting back in their vehicle while the nozzle was still pumping gas. When finished, they went back to pull the nozzle out and the fire started, as a result of static.
3) Most had on rubber-soled shoes.
4) Most men never get back in their vehicle until completely finished. This is why they are seldom involved in these types of fires.
5) Don't ever use cell phones when pumping gas
6) It is the vapors that come out of the gas that cause the fire, when connected with static charges.
7) There were 29 fires where the vehicle was re-entered and the nozzle was touched during refueling from a variety of makes and models. Some resulted in extensive damage to the vehicle, to the station, and to the customer.
8) Seventeen fires occurred before, durin g or immediately after the gas cap was removed and before fueling began.

Mr. Renkes stresses to NEVER get back into your vehicle while filling it with gas.

If you absolutely HAVE to get in your ! ve! hicl e wh ile the gas is pumping,
make sure you get out, close the door TOUCHING THE METAL, before you ever pull the nozzle out. This way the static from your body will be discharged before you ever remove the nozzle.

As I mentioned earlier, 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 in the center of the screen where it says "Stop Static".

I ask you to please send this information to ALL your family and friends, especially those who have kids in the car with them while pumping gas. If this were to happen to them, they may not be able to get the children out in time. Thanks for passing this along.

[MX-5]

quote:Originally posted by Ed Lim


1) Out of 150 cases, almost all of them were women.

I've only witnessed one static induced car fire personally.
My parents owned a gas station, and I watched this one happen.

The lady in a Jeep Grand Cherokee caused a static spark while inserting the pump nozzle. The flames quickly went into the gas tank and ..... WWWOOOOMMMPPPFFFF...... the entire rear of the SUV was on fire.

She had a brain freeze and could not explain what happened. When the firemen and I tried to describe what happened, she still didn't understand. I guess electricity and physics weren't strong subjects for her.

I'm one person who's seen it happen.

[cook]

Mythbusters did an episode on this.If I recall,it was almont impossible for the cell phone to ignite the fumes but very easy for the static electricity to.
I guess you can'tbelieve everything on the internet....
or on T.V....
or radio...
or this post...
the big grin ain't smoking while refueling!!

[Mike-in-Orange]

Hmmmm.....following the link shown in your post, http://www.pei.org I found the following link: http://wgntv.trb.com/news/local/even...,1460530.story

That link takes you to the WGN News in Chicago website, and an exerpt from the story reveals:

quote:So where does this bogus info come from? The fake email cites PEI, The Petroleum Equipment Institute as its source. It's a real company, but the information is anything but.

The fake email has linked so many worried people to their website, that they now post a big yellow warning box at the top of the site saying, "The email circulating did not originate from PEI. In fact, PEI has never been able to document a single refueling incident caused by a cell phone."

Four different telecom companies from around the world including Motorola and companies from the UK and Australia all concluded the same thing.

It's all an urban legend and nothing more than an internet hoax.

As often happens when someone passes along this sort of story it is with nothing but good intentions in mind. Still, I think of the emails going around about the Teddy Bear icon that proves your computer is infected with a virus....we all got this at work one day about a year ago, and before I could tell everyone it was a hoax (the file in question is a legitimate Windows file so of course it's on your computer!) 7 people at work had deleted the file. If someone tells you about a new virus threat, go to www.sarc.com and do a search for it. That's the Symantec AntiVirus Research Center.....home of Norton AntiVirus. If you suspect something else might not be on the up and up, do a Google search, you'll find it.

Although this cell phone induced explosion story is false, the worst it will do is get people to pay attention while pumping gas, and I just don't see the bad in that!

[bigslim]

They ran that story here about two months ago. It said don't use cellphones while pumping gas. Also, if you sit the car while it is pumping, when you get out touch the car before you touch the pump. This get rid of the static electricity.

[bigdogdad]

Actually at the gas station I use those four warnings are posted at each pump. I read it all the time, nothing else to do while standing there.

[Ed Lim]

The email made me curious. Lately, while exiting my car I get a strong static shock from the metal of the door as if I had been dragging my feet on a wool carpet for half an hour. And of course you have a tendency to think about it when you get out of your car to ...guess what... pump gas, and you put two and two together. Just trying to be careful. I love the flame job on my PT, but not THAT much![}]

[MX-5]

Their story may be a hoax, but the car fire I wrote about is 100% real.
The pumps now have a large "TOUCH HERE BEFORE FUELING" metal plate next to the pump nozzle. This is a static discharge grounded plate, with a resistor in the circuit to prevent static arcing.

[Jimbo]

I see people getting back in their cars after while filling
their tanks.I never due.It is posted on the gas pumps not to
but their in to big of a hurry to get out of the cold.Oh
they even leave their cars running while doing this.How stupid
is that.I don't believe there is any thing on cell phones posted
on the pumps,but I'll check that out next time I get gas.

[Mike-in-Orange]

quote:MX-5 Posted - 03/13/2004 : 08:25:38 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Their story may be a hoax, but the car fire I wrote about is 100% real.
The pumps now have a large "TOUCH HERE BEFORE FUELING" metal plate next to the pump nozzle. This is a static discharge grounded plate, with a resistor in the circuit to prevent static arcing.

MX-5, I have no reason to doubt you especially since you witnessed it first hand. Yes, the cell phone story may be a hoax, but there is no getting around the fact that static discharge and gasoline don't mix!