Is hydrogen fuel dangerous?
Is hydrogen fuel dangerous? When the Hindenburg airship approached its dock in Lakehurst, N.J., on May 6, 1937, the blimp that held the passenger decks aloft was filled with hydrogen. This element, the simplest — and most abundant — in the universe, has one proton with a single electron revolving around it. Hydrogen also weighs the least of all the elements atomically. It can pack quite a punch, creating vast amounts of energy when oxygen and an ignition source are introduced. When the Hindenburg exploded, the world witnessed the power of hydrogen. As the Hindenburg was docking that May evening, the blimp’s outer skin was exposed to a static spark. In a matter of seconds, flames tore across the airship, reducing it to a ball of flames and twisted metal. Thirty-six people lost their lives in the disaster [source:
