1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:07,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeart Radio. Hey, brain Stuff, 2 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:10,959 Speaker 1: Lauren Vogel bomb Here. For the purposes of this episode, 3 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: we're going to work from the assumption that you don't 4 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:16,040 Speaker 1: want to cause an explosion or a fire at a 5 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:18,640 Speaker 1: gas station, sending the whole structure and all of its 6 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:23,440 Speaker 1: patrons up in a cloud of smoke, lottery tickets, and funyans. So, 7 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:26,319 Speaker 1: if you don't want to cause an explosion or start 8 00:00:26,320 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 1: a fire at a gas station, should you keep your 9 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:34,720 Speaker 1: trusty cell phone holstered? Not particularly. Although some gas stations 10 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 1: have posted warnings against cell phone use and urban legends 11 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,160 Speaker 1: recount fires started by cell phones at gas tanks, there 12 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 1: has been no documented case of a cellphone starting a 13 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:47,839 Speaker 1: fire at a gas station. In fact, researchers such as 14 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:51,480 Speaker 1: the MythBusters have actively tried and failed to use cell 15 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:56,040 Speaker 1: phones to start gas pump fires. But what started the 16 00:00:56,080 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 1: idea cellphones and gas pumps don't mix. One culprit could 17 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 1: be the little shock of static electricity you get when 18 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:05,200 Speaker 1: you shuffle across the carpet and then touch something metallic 19 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:08,679 Speaker 1: or when you get out of your car. An electrical 20 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:11,119 Speaker 1: charge can build up in a material when it rubs 21 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 1: against another material. While they both start with balanced amounts 22 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 1: of negatively and positively charged electrons, one material can steal 23 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:24,399 Speaker 1: negatively charged electrons from the other. When those negatively charged 24 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 1: electrons don't have anywhere to go, they can build up 25 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:31,480 Speaker 1: in that one material. That's called a static charge because 26 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:34,480 Speaker 1: while it will hold in place for a time in 27 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 1: attempting to get back to its normal balance, the material 28 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:40,959 Speaker 1: will discharge those spare electrons at the first chance it gets. 29 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: That is, as soon as it comes near a conducive 30 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: material like metal, The electricity will arc from your fingertips 31 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:52,120 Speaker 1: to the metal, giving you a small shock. While cell 32 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: phones have not been shown to ignite fires at gas stations, 33 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 1: static electricity has. When you gas up your car, even 34 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 1: if you don't spill a single drop gasoline, vapors still 35 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 1: hang out around the pump nozzle, including when it's inserted 36 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:08,360 Speaker 1: in your gas tank. Those vapors can be ignited by 37 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:12,640 Speaker 1: static electricity. Once they're ignited, the fire travels wherever the 38 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 1: gas is inside the pump, inside the car's fuel tank, 39 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 1: and the next thing you know, there's a big boom 40 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:20,640 Speaker 1: and you have a lot of explaining to do to 41 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:25,359 Speaker 1: your insurance company, and you're not safe from static electricity 42 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 1: just because most gas stations are short on shag carpets. 43 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:31,959 Speaker 1: If you start the fuel pump then get back into 44 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 1: your car for some reason, and then get back out 45 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 1: to return the nozzle to the pump, the motion of 46 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:39,640 Speaker 1: your clothes against each other and against the material of 47 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:43,000 Speaker 1: your car seat and interioror carpet might have charged you 48 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 1: up enough to ignite those gasoline fumes. One study found 49 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 1: charges of up to sixty volts on people who had 50 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:53,760 Speaker 1: gotten in and out of their cars while refueling. So 51 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 1: even though your cell phone itself is not going to 52 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 1: set off a fire at the gas station, you definitely 53 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 1: should not go back into your car to retrieve it 54 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:04,320 Speaker 1: while you fill up. And it's probably in your best 55 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:07,359 Speaker 1: interests to pay attention to the gasoline instead of your 56 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:11,560 Speaker 1: phone while you're pumping. After all, any situation with moving 57 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:16,240 Speaker 1: vehicles and flowing combustion fuel deserves your full attention. Gas 58 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 1: stations have lots of safety features, but it's always good 59 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:26,720 Speaker 1: to play at safe. Today's episode was written by Jamie 60 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:29,440 Speaker 1: Page Deaton and produced by Tyler clang Or. More on 61 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:31,799 Speaker 1: this and lots of other flowing topics. Visit how stuffworks 62 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 1: dot com. Brain Stuff is production of I heart Radio. 63 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 1: For more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the i 64 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 65 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:39,840 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.