Can Cell Phones Cause Explosions at Gas Stations?
This is another urban myth that is given credence by its apparent official support by the British government, and an episode of “CSI”. The theory is that sparks caused by the phone will ignite fuel vapors in the atmosphere. While this seems perfectly reasonable, there has never been a single documented case of it ever happening. Furthermore, if sparks were that likely to start fires then we’d all be dead already. Cars are powder kegs of sparks, and not just from their electrical systems. High-energy static sparks that occur between the car and its occupants are all too common when people get in and out of cars. And when was the last time you saw a cell phone emit sparks? Even when removing or inserting the battery, sparks are highly unlikely. There is nothing on a cell phone that can emit sparks, and most modern cell phones operate at only 3 volts. It has been suggested that someone read about the old mechanical ringers on landline phones needing upwards of 100 volts to work, and they
