Myth or reality: Can using a mobile phone at a gas station cause explosions?

According to a so-called legend told in recent years, Using a mobile phone at gas stations can cause unexpected explosions. In the United States, there are warning signs near pumps with information such as ‘Turn off your mobile phone’ or ‘Do not use your smartphone while refueling’. So is this information really true?

The truth is that this is too complex a question for a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. First, It is important to emphasize that using a mobile phone near a gas station is not dangerous if the user is inside the car. But if the user is outside the car and near a gas pump, the answer is a little more difficult.

“The risk is very, very low. Because we’re so used to going to the gas station, we’ve all become a little complacent about the dangers that might be there. The idea is to get people at the gas station to pay attention to fueling up rather than talking on their cell phones,” National Fire Protection Association representative Michael Marando told the USA Today website in a sent message.

To understand Using your mobile phone at a gas station may cause explosions.TecMundo gathered information from scientists and experts in the field. Check out!

Can using a mobile phone at a gas station cause explosions?

According to Instituto Combustível Legal, there are studies proving that using a mobile phone in the vehicle does not pose any risk during refueling. However, there is a small risk of using the device outside the car, close to the pump. This is because the fuel evaporates when it comes into contact with air and, being heavier than air, becomes denser on the ground near the pumps.

The risk increases even more if a person uses a mobile phone near bombs and drops it on the ground. José Roberto Manhãoes, Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) coordinator for fuel company Raizen, said: It is necessary to advise people not to use their smartphones in the fuel supply area outside the gas station. This means that the device is completely safe to use in the vehicle.

The expert notes that some cities are already making efforts to pass laws banning the use of cell phones near bombs. It is not surprising that in 2002, São Paulo passed law 13,440 banning the use of mobile phones in any area of ​​a gas station; In 2017, the law was updated to ban devices only in supply areas.

However, until now There are no information or confirmed reports of explosions resulting from smartphone use in supply areas.. Outside of some studies on probability, there is only theoretical confirmation that this could actually happen in a hypothetical situation.

Legend or reality?

It is claimed that the warning began to be implemented in the USA in 1999. After a driver used his mobile phone at a refueling area in Indonesia. The use reportedly caused an explosion that damaged the vehicle and left the Indonesian driver with burns; This information has never been verified.

The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) explains that there is no evidence of this situation, but it is still theoretically possible for a smartphone to cause explosions. Allegedly, the spark from the mobile phone battery may fall into the fuel vapor on the floor of the refueling area and cause an explosion.

“So far we have not been able to document any incidents caused by a mobile phone. In fact, many researchers have tried and failed to ignite fuel vapors with a mobile phone.

The Discovery Channel show Mythbusters aired an episode testing the possibility, but concluded that using a cell phone at a gas station would not cause any explosions. According to one of the hosts, Adam Savage, the most common explosions at gas stations are caused by static sparks created by drivers rubbing against the surface of cars.

Two studies released by telephone companies state that there is no evidence that the devices could set off any type of explosion at a station. Researchers concluded that explosions supposedly caused by cell phones must actually be related to static sparks.

“Using a cell phone won’t blow up a gas station. When you get in and out of your car, you generate static electricity. If you feel a spark, it’s usually 10 to 20,000 volts of static electricity, which is strong enough to produce gas combustion,” Savage said in an interview with Business Insider.

Although there is little information about alleged cases involving cell phones and gas pumps, Michael Marando explains that it could happen in theory. Well, Although it is not common, it is important that people avoid using the device outside of a gas station.

As a result, the use of the mobile phone in the field of procurement can be considered both a myth and a reality. Finally, There’s no actual evidence that the devices can cause explosions at gas stations, but theory suggests this could happen in extremely specific situations.

“If I had to say there’s no risk to me, I really can’t do that because the odds of that happening are very, very remote, it could be one in a few billion. There are so many factors to accommodate, which makes this extraordinarily rare.” adds Marando.

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