Cell Phone Causes Explosion/Shell Petrol Tanker

According to an email released by the South African Flameproof Association, this is what happened:

The lorry is driven into the correct position in the loading bay.

The re-fueller, in white overalls, climbs up on top and opens the dip hatches to see if there is any product still in the compartments.

The front compartment is a bit dark and he cannot see.

He puts his hand into his pocket and takes out his cellphone.

He shines the cellphone light into the open dip hatch which is then followed by an explosion.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Cell
• Phone
• Explosion
• Petrol
• Shell
• Intrinsically
• Safe

[Kelly2357]

Cell phones cannot ignite anything.

It's an urban legend.

Check Snopes.

The poster SAExInst is a gullible fool.

[gibboxin]

its a lighter not a cell phone

[ChristopherWelch]

You idiots. He's using an old flip phone. Like a nokia 6500. Their screens are not sealed like today's smartphones. He flipped it open and like most of those old nokias, the screen failed to light immediately thus igniting the fumes once his had was in the tank and screen finally activated.

[stevensw]

@OfficialBlueOctober I hope not, he'll have many stupid children making similar mistakes.

[stevensw]

@marwatjunaid You're claim is completely baseless. No explosions caused by cell phones have been confirmed, and many have tried to force this to happen without any success.

[stevensw]

Cell phones causing explosions is an absolute myth, totally busted on Mythbusters who TRIED to do this with a cell phone even when surrounding them with fumes. Clearly a lighter was used, which makes this guy the dumbest and luckiest mofo alive.

[sookster54]

There's reasons why cellphone use is banned from handling sensitive materials like gas and chemicals in other industry fields. It can very well happen.

But in this video I have to say that was a lighter, it's been done before, and yes some of those gas drivers are THAT stupid to take a lighter to see, there are other youtube videos of them using lighters to see into the tank.

[WealthFuel]

It's a lighter...we saw this video in safety training...not a cell phone. Change the title dude...

[ohmmeters]

@marwatjunaid

You are so true here, but money talks, make people use their fucking phones as much as possible and make more money, even so by changing the reality and truth.

[ohmmeters]

@gibboxin

Yes OF COURSE, he wanted to use the lighter to bring some light in to the tank making him see better huh?

[cappsie1]

The BBC reported this to be a myth based on the research of Dr Adam Burgess, of the University of Kent, who presented his findings to a conference.

He said that out of 243 petrol station fires attributed to mobiles around the world in the last 11 years, not one was caused by a handset.

Researchers said static electricity from the body caused many of the fires.

Reference:

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/ke­nt/4366337.stm

[cappsie1]

Additionally, rather that simply stating it is real or it is a myth -- though I appreciate the references to Google and Snopes -- but it's also worth reading this report, a white paper about this very, almost legendary, phenomenon:

kent.ac.uk/scarr/events/finalp­apers/burgess.pdf

Food for thought. Remember: don't blindy believe things simply because they are on the internet. The net and email are the reasons these tales are so prolific.