Subject: [NEXTEL-1] A Motorola Background Paper- A Motorola Background Paper-April 2003

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003 03:30:42 -0400

Use of Mobile Phones and Portable Radios in Gasoline Stations

The use of mobile phones in gasoline stations long ago attained the status of “Internet
hoax” or “urban legend”

A Motorola Background Paper

April 2003

Over the last several years, there has been a swirl of speculation over whether the use of
mobile phones at gasoline stations could pose a risk of fire or explosion. Media interest
has been fed by Internet reports and email messages that have circulated around the world.

Some facts are in order. Motorola and others, including petroleum industry organizations,
have looked into this matter at length. It has been perpetuated by reports of incidents
that never occurred or could not be verified when investigated. In short, Motorola can
report that:

• There has been no documented incident anywhere in the world where the use of a mobile
phone or portable radio was identified as the cause of a fire or explosion in a gasoline
station; and

• There is no credible reason, based on technical evaluation, to believe that the use of
these products poses any such hazard.
In response to rumors that attracted considerable attention in 1999, Motorola commissioned
a review by an independent scientific, engineering and technical consulting firm: Exponent
Failure Analysis Associates. Exponent concluded in December 1999 that “…the use of a cell
phone at a gasoline filling station under normal operating conditions presents a
negligible hazard” and that the likelihood of such an accident under any conditions “…is
very remote.”
“Automobiles (which have numerous potential ignition sources) pose a greater ignition
hazard,” the report said. “Finally, other potential ignition sources are present, such as
static discharge between a person and a vehicle.”
An analysis by the Center for the Study of Wireless Electromagnetic Compatibility Center
at the University of Oklahoma in the United States reached a similar conclusion in August
2001. It said research into this issue “provided virtually no evidence to suggest that
cell phones pose a hazard at gas stations.”

“While it may be theoretically possible for a spark from a cell phone battery to ignite
gas vapor under very precise conditions, the historical evidence does not support the need
for further research,” the report said. “Until there is evidence to the contrary, we
suggest that no further action be initiated in this regard, and that no recommendations
for further action are required of the wireless phone or petroleum industries.” The
Exponent and Oklahoma reviews agreed that the issue was whether a batteryrelated spark
could create a source of ignition. The radio signals from the phone were not at issue.

The petroleum industry has devoted additional attention to this subject. In the United
States, the Petroleum Equipment Industry and American Petroleum Institute launched a
campaign to alert consumers to the demonstrable dangers of static discharge when fueling a
vehicle, but emphasized that there were no known incidents of fire or explosion resulting
from the use of mobile phones.

Shell Oil, often cited in Internet reports and email messages as the source of warnings on
this issue, stated that it had no knowledge of any such events. In the United Kingdom, the
Institute of Petroleum hosted a technical seminar on the issue last month and concluded
there was no evidentiary or technical evidence to support the view that mobile phones pose
a real risk.
The use of mobile phones in gasoline stations long ago attained the status of “Internet
hoax” or “urban legend” -- rumor and supposition accorded undue credence because of
repeated mentions in the media, over the Internet and by email -- of incidents that defied
verification and technical plausibility. In the end, public policies and consumer advice
must be based not on speculation but fact. The facts in this case are clear.  They are
reinforced by extensive engineering analysis and suggest that there is no sound technical
basis to prohibit the use of mobile phones in gasoline stations or single them out as
hazards.

# # #
References

“Cell Phone Usage at Gasoline Stations.”
Report to Motorola by Exponent Failure Analysis Associates, Menlo Park, California USA.
December 1999.

 “Investigation of the Potential for Wireless Phones to Cause Explosions at Gas Stations.”

Center for the Study of Wireless Electromagnetic Compatibility, University of Oklahoma,
Norman, Oklahoma USA. August 2001.
www.ou.edu/engineering/emc/

“Stop Static.” Ongoing public awareness campaign by the Petroleum Equipment Institute and
American Petroleum Institute.
www.pei.org/static/index.htm

“Ignition of Flammable Vapour by Mobile Phones Not Substantiated by Technical Evidence.”
Statement of the U.K. Institute of Petroleum. March 21, 2003. Available at:
www.intellectuk.org/press/news/news_21_03_03.asp

“Use of Mobile Phones at Petrol Stations.” Statement of the Australian Mobile
Telecommunications Association. http://www.amta.org.au/?Page=38

“Gas Station Warnings Perpetuate ‘Urban Legend.’” Statement of Tom Wheeler,
president and CEO of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association. October 7,
1999. www.wow-com.com/news/press/body.cfm?record_id=407

“Fuelish Pleasures: Is Using a Cell Phone at a Gas Station Dangerous?” Urban
Legends Reference Pages. January 2002.
www.snopes2.com/autos/hazards/gasvapor.htm

http://www.motorola.com/mot/documents/0,1028,423,00.pdf?Fri%20Feb%2007%2018:16:44%202003