mstw

I see the sign "No cell phone" along with "No smoking" and "Turn off engine" at almost every single local gas stations -- Exxon, Mobil, Shell, Texaco, Amoco ..... I, for one, do not want to risk myself nor others with what can potentially go seriously wrong.

All I know about the energy emmited by a cell phone is:

1. Talking on the phone at work (landline), I can tell if a call is coming in before the phone rings or even lights up by the audible static on my landline.

2. Gives me a headache talking on my cell for more than an hour ... it never occurs to me on a landline (even cordless.)

But, it's probably just me, so who knows ....

steve_the_greek

In Greece 2 years ago, we stopped at an attended petrol station, and the bozo attendant was smoking whilst dispensing fuel. Strangely enough, although we let him fuel the car, we all got out and stood 30 yards or so away (probably not far enough, but we felt safer).

Frenchie

You talk on a cellphone for an hour at a time?! You'd better get a pop-open door in the back of your head and a pinger fitted in your ear to tell you when your brain is properly cooked!

If I was using a cellphone for that length of time I'd be using one of those earpiece and microphone devices. Just my 2p

vteclimey

this is not new.

i worked at a filling station 10 years ago. we used to get CB radio peeps coming in and sitting on the forecourt regulary late at night as it was convenient for them.

we were instructed to tell them not to use the radios on the foreourt for these same reasons, during that time was the first time I heard of a mobile phone causing fuel to ignite.

my assuption was that it wasn't a spark that caused the combustion but the strength of the signal causing a local charging of the air (ala rain clouds and lightening) and this in some situations could cause fumes to ignite.

here endeth my knowledge

vteclimey

[QUOTE]Originally posted by PWE 896
[B] You talk on a cellphone for an hour at a time?!

alex.stanley

Spot on!

Pardon my french but it's got bugger-all to do with sparks, and plenty to do with the amount of radiation that a transmitting/receiving phone emits during this process.

While in standby mode (ie. not on, making or receiving a call) it does not constantly broadcast, but does "handshake" with the network at predetermined intervals (the time periods depend on the network and GSM protocol as far as I know). When initiating or on a call, there is a lot more traffic over the air as the network handshakes with the phone and begins the call process.

So, while a mobile phone *is* extremely low voltage, the radiation from the microwaves that mobile phones work on are (allegedly) sufficiently powerful to charge the surrounding airspace, and thus ignite the fumes.

Don't use a phone in petrol stations, folks!

Alex.

Frenchie

And cook your brain

Frenchie

That would mean you would have to have your hand between the phone and your head. PLUS, how can the earpiece be radiating anything other than sound waves? Surely it's the aerial that is the microwave emitter?

potfish

There's a lot of bullsh1t out there about mobile phones. The report in one of the tabloids that suggested that hands-free kits are more dangerous tested only 2 or 3 different makes of phone and all of them were using third party headsets, not OEM. It is conceivable that if the wire were not properly shielded and routed past the antenna (likely if the phone is on your belt and the connector at the bottom/antenna at the top) then it could pick up some of the emissions and direct them into your ear. Regardless, the tests performed by the newspaper were very far from exhaustive but where's the story if they'd found them to be safe? I would use one for two reasons: one is that the radiation is further from your head and the inverse square law applies: double the distance, divide by 4 the radiation exposure. The other reason is that if the radiation is not being absorbed by your head then the phone may get away with a lower transmission power. It has been proved that radiation is absorbed by your head. What is not known is whether that is harmful. I'll let other people find out thanks.

Regarding the high voltages, if the backlight is electroluminescent then there will be a high voltage driving it. Otherwise there are no high voltages in the phone. It's not just that that can cause a spark though - consider your car battery at a nominal 12V. You can get quite a spark out of that if you short something across it! Similarly with a phone, their peak current draw is 2 to 3 Amps when transmitting on maximum power so the battery protection circuits have to allow for that plus margin. In the case of a bad connection it is conceivable that a spark could occur.

I agree with 98TypeR#21's comments though. I suspect that sparks from other sources happen all the time but as it is not normal to have a dangerously high concentration of fumes at petrol stations it's pretty unlikely something would go up.

potfish

alex.stanley

I would use a headset purely for the 'two hands on the wheel' safety approach, myself - regardless of whether it's better for my brain or not!

Now I have the S2000 though I try to avoid taking calls when I'm driving at all, because most of the time the top & windows are down and it's just too windy (that's my excuse anyway)

Alex.