Cell Phones

What effect does a cell phone use have on a gas station? Did this question ever cross your mind when seeing the sign on the gas station(no cell phones allowed)? I bet it did, but you never figured out WHY! Cell phones could cause an electric spark putting everyone that is around to be in danger since an explosion can occur with gasoline all around the station.

When entering a place that might have chemicals or substances that can harm us, we tend to find the sings that help us now what is forbidden for our own safety. In a gas station there are many rules that usually make us wonder how can such rule prevent any danger. We should always “turn off” our cars when refueling, we should not use fire or smoke, we should not “get in and out” of our car when refueling. (Safety Information,2011) “It doesn't take much of a charge to ignite gasoline vapors, New Paltz fire chief Patrick Koch told WCBS-AM's Peter Haskell. "Anything, really. Women's nylon stockings when they get out of a vehicle, that can cause a spark, too." (Vries, L. D. , 2004) This news article talks about an incident that happened in a petrol station because of the use of a cell phone. What was every interesting about this article is that it stated that even nylon stockings can cause a spark in a gas station. Even though the rule of not using a cell phone in a gas station is for our own safety, some believe that it does not have an effect. “Scientific testing, however, has not established a dangerous link between wireless phones and fuel vapors. Wireless phone manufacturers and fuel companies have issued these warnings as a precaution”(United States,2008). Through my research I have discovered that some manuals on the cellphone itself says that it can cause a spark. “A number of mobile phone manufacturers such as Ericsson, Motorola and Nokia include warnings in their user manuals stating that the phone may generate sparks which could cause an explosion or