Slashdot Mirror
Can Cell Phones Ignite Gasoline Vapors?
Iphtashu Fitz writes "Matthew Erhorn was filling his car with gasoline outside of New Paltz, NY when when he flipped open his cell phone to answer a call. The next thing he knew he was engulfed by a ball of fire. Luckily for Erhorn a quick thinking employee hit the emergency fire suppression system and he ended up with only minor burns. Firefighters investigating the accident concluded that the cell phone triggered the fire. Experts at The Petroluum Equipment Institute disagree however, attributing the fire to static electricity. Since 1992 the PEI has documented 158 cases of gas pump fires believed to have been started by static electricity. Apparently cell phone signals are too weak to ignite gasoline vapors, but the human body can generate enough static electiricy (60,000 volts) from simply sliding out of your car seat to do just that. Do you pay attention to all those signs at the gas pump telling you to to make sure your car, cell phone, PDA, pacemaker, etc. are all turned off before you start pumping?"
From alt.folklore.urban FAQ:
False: A penny falling from height of Empire State building will embed in pavement.
True: CDs are the size they are because it could hold Beethoven's 9th symphony.
False: People explode/boil/something in the vacuum of space. [Apparently, you won't get permanent injuries for a couple of minutes if you don't hold your breath]
True: Venus and perhaps a few other bright stars/planets can be seen in daylight.
True: Subliminal messages in advertising are ineffective, but outlawed anyway.
True: Some combinations of metal tooth fillings can receive radio signals.
False: People only use 10% of their brain capacity (whatever that means).
False: If the entire population of China jumped up at the same time: a) the Earth's orbit would be disturbed, b) the entire US would be swamped by a tidal wave.
False: Swimming right after eating will cause cramps and you'll drown.
True: MRI used to be called "Nuclear MRI", but "N" was dropped due to nuke fear.
True: Daylight Savings Time was introduced to conserve coal, despite opposition from agricultural interests.
False: Scientists once concluded that bumblebees couldn't fly.
False: No two snowflakes are alike.
False: Hair grows back thicker or faster if you shave it.
Believed True: After your head is cut off by a guillotine you have 13 seconds of consciousness (+/- 1 or 2).
False: Knuckle cracking will lead to arthritis. [Though you might get other problems].
False: Albert Einstein did poorly in school.
False: Phil Collins' song "In the Air Tonight" is about a death witnessed by Phil. [It was inspired by his first wife leaving him.]
False: Thomas Crapper invented the flush toilet. [He did improve it, though.]
False: Otto Titzling invented the brassiere.
True: Studies indicate that the majority of US currency has traces of cocaine.
True: "In like Flynn" is from Errol Flynn's acquittal on statutory rape charges.
False: The expression "rule of thumb" came from an old practice that permitted husbands to beat their wives as long as it was with a stick no thicker than his thumb.
False: Various university libraries sink; books heavier than architect thought!
Believed True: The Kennedy family made their fortune from smuggling Scotch during prohibition.
True: "Little Mermaid" video cover features good drawing of a penis. Prank? Revenge?
True: Disney caused people to believe that Lemmings suicide in march to sea. During the filming of the 1958 Disney nature documentary White Wilderness, the film crew induced lemmings into jumping off a cliff and into the sea in order to document their supposedly suicidal behavior.
False: Ship captains, on their own authority, can perform marriages.
True: Gerbils are illegal in California. [CA Reg. Title 14, Sec. 671 (c)(2)(J) 1].
Believed True: Gerbils are trained to sniff drugs in Canada. Those Canadians!
Believed True: UK people drive on the left (etc) to allow easy sword access in old days.
False: In great desperation, mother lifts car off and rescues trapped child.
True: "The Club" is lame because a thief could cut through the wheel in no time.
Interesting facts [some are grouped to defeat the lame lameness filter]:
The average human eats eight spiders in their lifetime at night. The most common name in the world in Mohamed. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out. A pig's orgasm lasts for 30 minutes.
A snail can sleep for three years. All polar bears are left handed. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first-class. Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza every day.
Babies are born without knee caps. They don't appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.
Butterflies taste with their feet. Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, dogs only have about 10. China has mo