Trip to the Gas Station

Today I went to the gas station...

Okay...so I go to the gas station EVERY DAY!!!

But today was different.

I was ending a phone conversation with my co-worker Dave. As I was saying my good-byes, I starting filling up my tank. A woman runs over to me from the pump next to me screaming at me. She says that I am breaking the law by talking on the phone at the gas station.

This is what I said to her:
There is NO Law saying I can't talk on the phone while pumping gas.
I asked her if it was a law, wouldn't there be notices on the pump! I point to the regulations on the side of the pump.

I was finishing my conversation anyway, so I hung up with Dave. As I was driving away, I thought of what I should have said to her.

It would have gone like this:
You are a crazy woman!!!! If you have a problem with me pumping gas, maybe you should pick another pump to use!!! If it is against the law....call the f*cking Police!!!!

I then remembered reading something from hoaxbusters.ciac.org I might just print this off and keep it in my car in case some other crazy woman ever attacks me!

Here is the info....I must say that this is clearly a MAJOR URBAN MYTH....I even got an email from my company telling me not to use cell phones while pumping gas. So there has been one or two cases of cell phones causing an explosion...(Compared to hundreds of cases of people smoking near the pumps...) OMG!!!!

Don't Use Cell Phones At The Gas Pump Warning
July 2002

This warning is often combined with the Static At The Gas Pump Warning. The rules for safe refueling from the Petroleum Equipment Institute's website are,

Turn Off Engine
Don't Smoke
Never Re-enter Your Vehicle

Note there is no mention of cell phones. In fact, the Institute explicitly says, "PEI has not documented any cases of cellular phones causing fires at gas stations".

Older desk phones that ring with bells have an electromagnetic ringer that operates on about 100 volts and does make sparks. Modern cell phones do not have the power to spare on electromagnetic ringers and thus use low voltage (5V) buzzers that do not make sparks. The keypads also are low voltage and do not make sparks so there is nothing in a properly working cell phone that could light a fire. Most cell phones are also sealed to keep out moisture. These seals also keep out the gasoline fumes.

On the other hand, one of the newer cell phones with a backlit display has a 600 to 900 volt power supply for the cold cathode fluorescent used to light the display. If such a phone were damaged such that one of the high voltage wires were broken, it could produce sparks. Another possibility is that pulling the plastic phone out of a pocket charges up the phone with static electricity which could also discharge making a spark. Of course, this applies to any plastic objects that you might pull out of a pocket. Static charging such as this is the reason you should not re-enter your vehicle while refueling. The act of sliding across the plastic car seat can charge you and the vehicle with static electricity that could then be discharged in a spark as you reach for the refueling nozzle.