[Sca-cooks] OT, OOP--Summer warning--not a hoax

Mon Jul 1 04:46:24 PDT 2002

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I pass this on to you and ask, because you all mean a great deal to me, that you read it and heed its warning.  This information has been checked out with the website that contains warnings about hoaxes and urban legends, and this appears to be clean.  As I believe it is, I am sending this out to you as it is a logical warning...and could be quite dangerous, especially as so much of the country is undergoing a drought this year.

Kiri

Sometimes these things are just Urban Legends or hoaxes. This appears to be
valid.

-----Original Message-----
From: Rusty [SMTP:rustybetsy at qzip.net] <mailto:[SMTP:rustybetsy at qzip.net]>

Sent: Monday, June 17, 2002 8:11 PM
To: Undisclosed Recipients
Cc: linda swan
Subject: STATIC FIRES AT GAS PUMPS

I went to PEI's web site and this is a credible report....bottom line: don't
get back in your car when fueling, even if it's hot, windy or cold (like
I've done in the past)!  jeb

Subject: STATIC FIRES AT GAS PUMPS

Bob Penkes of Petroleum Equipment Institute is working on a campaign to try
and make people aware of fires as a result of "static" at gas pumps. His
company has researched 150 cases of these fires. His results were very
surprising:

1) Out of 150 cases, almost all of them were women.

2) Almost all cases involved the person getting back in their vehicle while
the nozzle was still pumping gas, when finished and they went back to pull
the nozzle out the fire started, as a result of static.

3) Most had on rubber-soled shoes.

4) Most men never get back in their vehicle until completely finished.  This
is why they are seldom involved in these types of fires.

5) Don't ever use cell phones when pumping gas

6) It is the vapors that come out of the gas that cause the fire, when
connected with static charges.

7) There were 29 fires where the vehicle was reentered and the nozzle was
touched during refueling from a variety of makes and models. Some resulting
in extensive damage to the vehicle, to the station, and to the customer.

8) Seventeen fires that occurred before, during or immediately after the gas
cap was removed and before fueling began.

Mr. Renkes stresses to NEVER get back into your vehicle while filling it
with gas.

If you absolutely HAVE to get in your vehicle while the gas is pumping, make
sure you get out, close the door TOUCHING THE METAL, before you ever pull
the nozzle out. This way the static from your body will be discharged before
you ever remove the nozzle.

As I mentioned earlier, The Petroleum Equipment Institute, along with
several other companies now, are really trying to make the public aware of
this danger. You can find out more information by going to <
http://www.pei.org" title=http://www.pei.org>http://www.pei.org >http:
www.pei.org>http: www.pei.org< A> .
Once here, click in the center of the screen where it says "Stop Static".

I ask you to please send this information to ALL your family and friends,
especially those who have kids in the car with them while pumping gas.  If
this were to happen to them, they may not be able to get the children out in
time.

Thanks for passing this along. <http://www.pei.org>

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Safety Tip for January 2001

Blazes at the gas pump raise concerns
Static electricity can ignite gas vapors
He wasn't smoking. That's what people always assume. The car was turned off.
He wasn't using a cellular phone. He took all the usual precautions but
something terrible happened on November 3, 1999 as he filled up his Toyota
Camry at a SuperAmerica station outside of Huntington, West Virginia. It was
something he, like most motorists had no idea was even possible. Simply
touching the gas pump nozzle sparked a fire. He stated, "when I got the
pump, I touched it and that's all I can remember. "Boom. I was ignited."
Investigators with the state fire marshal's office concluded the fire was
likely caused by static electricity. The buildup of static electricity is
usually released with a surprising but harmless shock. Most people
experience it when they touch the car door during dry cold weather. Or when
grabbing a door knob after walking on carpet.
But a mundane static shock can turn tragic when it occurs near the opening
to a vehicle's fuel tank, where there can be an accumulation of gasoline
vapors. Given the proper conditions, the spark is enough to ignite a fire.
These rare ( 26 fires at refueling points in 1999 and 16 suspected in 2000)
but troubling and easily avoided incidents have only recently begun to grab
the attention of gasoline industry officials. But the public remains almost
entirely unaware that this can happen.
Warning stickers posted at gas stations tell motorists not to smoke during
refueling and not to leave the car engine on. There are even warnings about
how prolonged exposure to gasoline fumes causes cancer or about using cell
phones at the gas pumps. But at few gas stations is anything posted on the
dangers of static electricity during vehicle refueling. Perhaps the closest
thing is a warning directed at people filling up portable gasoline
containers. It is recommended the container be placed on the ground during
refueling.
Fires ignited at gasoline pumps by static electricity can be easily avoided.
There are some common sense things you can do to correct this hazard. The
goal is to avoid generating static electricity during the refueling process
and to make sure you have released any static buildup before touching the
pump nozzle or anything near the fuel tank opening.
Fires can start when a static spark ignited gasoline fumes gathered near the
fuel tank opening. The spark can be generated a number of ways, but the
greatest concern comes when a person gives off a static spark.
Following one simple rule should solve most of the problem said Robert
Renkes of the Petroleum Equipment Institute. "Do not enter your car while
refueling," he said.
That way you won't have a static electric buildup when you sit down in the
car. It appears that getting back in the car while refueling appears to be
the leading cause of these fires. About 75 percent of the victims are women
because they are more likely to go back in the car to get their purse or
check on a child.
Before you handle the pump for the first or last time, make sure you are
free of static electricity sparks. You can simply touch a metal part of your
car at a point away from the fuel tank opening and the nozzle. You want to
be shocked somewhere just not where there are vapors. If you don't like
getting shocked, some experts suggest touching the metal with your
knuckles-there are fewer nerve endings there.
Even though people are the main problem, one contributor to the problem is
the hold-open clip on gas nozzles. Some local jurisdictions don't allow
hold-open clips on gas nozzles because of the potential for static
electricity sparks.
Safety Tip: Static electricity can ignite gasoline vapors. Stay near your
vehicle and do not re-enter it while fueling. If you do re-enter your
vehicle during fueling, touch a metal part of your vehicle BEFORE touching
the gasoline nozzle to discharge any potential static buildup.

South Interior Building,
1951 Constitution Ave., Washington, DC 20240
URL http://www.osmre.gov/safety/stip0101.htm
Content Contact: Bill Bass <mailto:bbass at osmre.gov> , 412-937-2840
Page Contact: Louis Blasiotti <mailto:lblasiot at osmre.gov>
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