DANGER at the Gas Pumps

I know you all are gonna think I am crazy but I want to pick your brains...you all are smart people....I have faith in you... :D

OK so I swear I have heard that it's dangerous to talk on your cell phone while you are pumping gas -- have you heard this? Do you know it to be a fact? Myth? and if so.....why? Or am I crazy?

My boyfriend and I were 'arguing' (I use that term VERY lightly) about this the last couple of days and of course he is a smart @$$ every time he's talking to me now when he goes to pump gas -- says stuff like, "ok I am going to pump gas now....I hope I don't explode"

I know I have heard this somewhere, but I honestly can't explain what it was that I heard was the REASON it's supposed to be dangerous -- I have had a gas station attendant on TWO occasions, ask me to get off my cell phone so that makes me believe there is some validity to it as well.

Any input??? :confused:

I check all myths on www.truthorfiction.com to see what they have to say about it. Here's what they say about it.

The bottom line is that there are no documented cases that anyone can find of gas fumes being ignited by a cell phone.

The issue is not a simple one, however, because some oil companies have issued bans on cell phones at their stations and cell phone manufacturers have printed warnings about using their equipment around fuel vapors.

Some observers say that the warnings are reactions to the false rumors of explosions and deaths caused by cell phones.

I've seen the posted signs at the gas station that say not to use your cell phone...so I'm not sure about this one. I guess I just don't use my cell phone enough to worry about it. Maybe I should worry about the guy next to me at the pump on his cell phone!!! :D

Nadine.

I've never heard about cell phone being a gas pump hazard, but I have heard that in the winter you have to be careful of shocking yourself when you're pumping gas.

I've heard that because there is sometimes a spark when you get a shock from touching metal, that you should touch your car or something first (to get rid of the static electricity) before picking up the gas pump. :confused: :confused: :confused: Have no idea if it's true . . .

think I'll go check out snopes :D

ok, here's what I found:

on cell phones - snopes says this is false
http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/gasvapor.asp

on static electricity - snopes says true
http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/static.asp

of course, I have no idea if snopes is always right ;)

Back in the day you couldn't use 2 way radios around dynamite and the likes. I think that theory carried over into cell phones. As I've mentioend, I sell fireworks, and our store is HUGE. We have people that ask if it's ok to use cell phones in there. I really want to tell them they'll blow the place up just so I don't have to listen to them talk on their phones.

Thank you! I'm going to read the sites you all posted links for!

Yes we talked about the static electricity thing too and I know I have seen video footage of that happening -- I know they say you shouldn't get back in your car while you are pumping, etc...because there is a better chance of building up the static electricity. I really have no idea why we got into such a big discussion about this :p

But then it was buggin me because I knew I had heard it somewhere but then logically it made no sense to me WHY it would be dangerous.

:::goin to look at the websites:::

As far as I know, the concern about cell phones is their potential for static electricity b/c it's an electronic device. I don't know much about electronics, so I really don't know if this is true.

Wow...I didn't even notice this thread until right now. But now that I read it...its funny because Bill believes talking on a cell phone whilst gassing the car is DANGEROUS. But he also leaves the engine running and smokes a cigarette. I tell him the engine and cigarette thing is bad so stop bitching about my cell phone.

WHOA!!!! He leaves the engine running?!?! Where I live that's against the law. That's no joke he can seriously blow the joint up. My mom's cousin saved someone's live when someone left their car running and the gas station exploded, that's when the law was passed, that's my claim to fame.:D

Yeah, if I'm in the passenger seat, I just flip it off though. The cigarette thing is pretty bad too. Esp. with gas cans for the lawnmower.