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Question #: 688

Question: IS IT DANGEROUS TO USE YOUR CELL PHONE AT A GAS STATION?

Current Solution

I can't think of any reason that it would be dangerous. However, I checked with the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association. The Chairman of the Association sent the following memo on 18 June 1999, to the Associations' Board of Directors and others:
"You may have received inquiries about wireless phones causing fires or explosions at gas stations. In particular, you may have been asked about an alleged explosion at a gas station in Indonesia. We have been unable to verify any such occurrence in Indonesia or anywhere else. Moreover, in our discussions with Shell Oil they have stated they have attempted to verify these reports and also have not been able to document any such occurrence."
Nonetheless, in an abundance of caution, some manufacturers have included language in the owner's manuals for their products that recommends wireless phone users turn off their phones while at refueling points (gas stations). In addition, we have received information that Exxon will begin issuing warning signs at all domestic gas stations advising drivers to turn off all wireless communications devices when entering Exxon gas stations.

While wireless phone owners should always consult their owner's manual for information on the use of the phone, we are not aware of any incident that would justify these concerns."

Gen Roessler, Editor
HPS website

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Other Possible Solutions to this Question

  • WHY IT DANGEROUS TO HAVE YOUR MOBILE PHONE IN OPERATION DURING REFUELING AT A GAS STATION?

    I can't think of any reason that it would be dangerous. However, I checked with the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association. The Chairman of the Association sent the following memo on 18 June 1999, to the Associations' Board of Directors and others:
    "You may have received inquiries about wireless phones causing fires or explosions at gas stations. In particular, you may have been asked about an alleged explosion at a gas station in Indonesia. We have been unable to verify any such occurrence in Indonesia or anywhere else. Moreover, in our discussions with Shell Oil they have stated they have attempted to verify these reports and also have not been able to document any such occurrence."
    Nonetheless, in an abundance of caution, some manufacturers have included language in the owner's manuals for their products that recommends wireless phone users turn off their phones while at refueling points (gas stations). In addition, we have received information that Exxon will begin issuing warning signs at all domestic gas stations advising drivers to turn off all wireless communications devices when entering Exxon gas stations.

    While wireless phone owners should always consult their owner's manual for information on the use of the phone, we are not aware of any incident that would justify these concerns."

    Gen Roessler, Editor
    HPS website

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    WHY IT DANGEROUS TO HAVE YOUR MOBILE PHONE IN OPERATION DURING REFUELING AT A GAS STATION?

  • WILL CELL PHONES SPARK A FIRE AT THE GAS STATION?

    I can't think of any reason that it would be dangerous. However, I checked with the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association. The Chairman of the Association sent the following memo on 18 June 1999, to the Associations' Board of Directors and others:
    "You may have received inquiries about wireless phones causing fires or explosions at gas stations. In particular, you may have been asked about an alleged explosion at a gas station in Indonesia. We have been unable to verify any such occurrence in Indonesia or anywhere else. Moreover, in our discussions with Shell Oil they have stated they have attempted to verify these reports and also have not been able to document any such occurrence."
    Nonetheless, in an abundance of caution, some manufacturers have included language in the owner's manuals for their products that recommends wireless phone users turn off their phones while at refueling points (gas stations). In addition, we have received information that Exxon will begin issuing warning signs at all domestic gas stations advising drivers to turn off all wireless communications devices when entering Exxon gas stations.

    While wireless phone owners should always consult their owner's manual for information on the use of the phone, we are not aware of any incident that would justify these concerns."

    Gen Roessler, Editor
    HPS website

    Click the link to add information to this solution:
    WILL CELL PHONES SPARK A FIRE AT THE GAS STATION?

  • IT MORE DANGEROUS STAY FOR ONE HOUR AT A TEN-METER DISTANCE FROM CELLULAR ANTENNA OR TALK INTO PHONE THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME?

    Cellular phones are designed to be safe for both the user and anyone standing nearby. Cellular phones are actually small radios that transmit signals to and from base-station antennas located on towers or buildings in the nearby neighborhood. Cellular phones use low-power radio signals, even weaker than CB, police, or fire radios.

    The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) sets safety standards for human exposure to radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic energy in the United States. Government agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and many states recognize and accept the ANSI RF safety standard. Also, the United States standard for RF energy is comparable to those set in other countries.

    Cellular phones and cellular-phone base stations have been shown to meet these RF safety standards. Safety standards for RF energy are threshold standards. Threshold standards define the level of RF energy above which there may be health or safety hazards and below which there have been no reported harmful effects. Unlike ionizing radiation, which many people believe to act cumulatively even at small exposure levels, RF energy at low levels is not considered a cumulative hazard. Therefore the consensus of scientific experts in this area is that RF exposure from cellular phones, meeting the threshold levels set in safety standards, is safe for all.

    The specific answer to the question is that cellular phone technology is safe for all. There is no danger posed by either handheld phone units or by base-station antennas. In both cases, the radio signals transmitted from the antennas are required to meet the ANSI safety standard for RF safety as embodied in FCC regulations governing this technology. For more information:

    The FCC has recently revised and reissued its Bulletin 56 on Questions and Answers about Biological Effects and Potential Hazards of Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields.

    OSHA provides information and links to more sites on RF safety at its Web page, Radiofrequency/Microwave Radiation.

    Gary Zeman, ScD, CHP Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

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    IT MORE DANGEROUS STAY FOR ONE HOUR AT A TEN-METER DISTANCE FROM CELLULAR ANTENNA OR TALK INTO PHONE THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME?

  • DOES CELL PHONE VIBRATION ON YOUR STOMACH DURING PREGNANCY AFFECT THE BABY?

    A cell phone emits electromagnetic radiation of various frequencies at very low intensity and would not affect the development of a fetus whose mother placed the cell phone on her abdomen during her pregnancy. The mother's reproductive and developmental risk for her growing embryo would not be altered by these exposures. If you are healthy, young, and have no reproductive problems or family history of reproductive or developmental problems, your risk for birth defects is 3% and for miscarriage, 15%. These are background risks with which every woman begins her pregnancy. Neither you nor I can change these risks. Good luck with your pregnancy.

    Robert Brent, MD, PhD

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    DOES CELL PHONE VIBRATION ON YOUR STOMACH DURING PREGNANCY AFFECT THE BABY?

  • WHAT ARE THE HEALTH RISKS OF LIVING NEAR A CELL PHONE TOWER?

    There is very little radiofrequency (RF) energy exposure to people inside a building from a cellular base station located on its roof. There are several reasons for this. First, the transmitters operate at low power levels. Second, the antennas are normally mounted near the edges of the roof and are aimed away from the building. Third, most cellular transmitters use "high gain" or panel antennas. Such antennas transmit most of their energy in a narrow beam (in the vertical direction) from their front surfaces, away from the building. They radiate very little energy downwards towards the roof or backwards from their rear surfaces. Finally, building materials absorb a significant fraction of the RF energy passing through them. As a result, the RF signal levels at any location inside the building are invariably low and far below safety limits. The situation might be different in some locations on the roof itself. RF signal levels close to (within a few feet) and directly in front of cellular base station antennas can easily exceed safety limits. Some precautions are needed to prevent people from walking directly in front of the antennas while they are transmitting. This applies also to paging and other systems that use rooftop antennas, some of which transmit at higher power levels than many cellular base stations. Kenneth R. Foster, Ph.D.

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    WHAT ARE THE HEALTH RISKS OF LIVING NEAR A CELL PHONE TOWER?

  • CELL PHONE USE

    Hands-free cell phone car microphones have been tested by the manufacturers and meet the current ANSI/IEEE (American National Standards Institute/Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) standards for radiofrequency (RF) safety. These are the same standards that the Federal Communications Commission enforces under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and they place limits on the specific absorption rate (SAR) of RF energy in the body. Recent inflammatory articles in the British press were not substantiated by testing at ISO-accredited testing facilities at Motorola. Manufacturers of cell phones are required under FCC regulations to assure that their products meet the SAR limits on both hand-held and hands-free units. Further information can be obtained on the Internet at The Center for Devices and Radiological Health (FDA information) or Office of Engineering and Technology (FCC information).

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    CELL PHONE USE

  • HOW MUCH RADIATION GIVEN OFF BY A CELL PHONE AND THERE ANY WAY TO STOP THE FROM BEING ABSORBED INTO YOURSELF?

    Portable cell phones emit about 0.6 watts of radiofrequency energy, limited primarily by the power of the battery. As with any radiofrequency transmitter, there will be some amount of absorption in the human body; the amount depends on how close you are to the antenna. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) limits the amount of radiofrequency energy which cell phones can deposit in the body to levels at which no health effects are to be expected. See an article on Cell Phone Safety on this website for more information.

    Gary H. Zeman, ScD, CHP

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    HOW MUCH RADIATION GIVEN OFF BY A CELL PHONE AND THERE ANY WAY TO STOP THE FROM BEING ABSORBED INTO YOURSELF?

  • WILL IT BE HARMFUL TO USE MY MOBILE PHONE DURING PREGNANCY? IF HARMFUL, SHOULD I DISCONTINUE USING OR MODERATELY?

    Thank you for your inquiry about the risk to your embryo by using a cellular phone during pregnancy. Sometimes it is not made clear to the public that there are different kinds of radiation. The electrical fields from a cellular phone are nothing like x ray. The energy is so low in the electrical waves of cellular phones that it does not represent a risk to the developing embryo. If you use the cellular phone conventionally by placing it to your ear, you further reduce the exposure to the embryo, which is already extremely low because of the distance of the phone from your ear to your uterus. There are no studies dealing with the risks of cellular phones on the outcome of pregnancy in humans, but numerous animal studies indicate that the exposures from the phones do not represent a risk for birth defects or miscarriage. Of course you must realize that every healthy pregnant woman begins her pregnancy with a 3% risk for birth defects and a 15% risk for miscarriage. Good luck with your pregnancy.

    Robert Brent MD, PhD, DSc(Hon)

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    WILL IT BE HARMFUL TO USE MY MOBILE PHONE DURING PREGNANCY? IF HARMFUL, SHOULD I DISCONTINUE USING OR MODERATELY?

  • wHAT IS THE SMALLEST LENGTH SHAFT I CAN USE FOR YOUR #25 DRIVE SPROCET?

    The hub length of the drive sprocket and the other mechanical devise that is used to connect on the shaft will determine the length of the shaft needed for use with the drive sprocket.

    The hub lengths for our drive sprockets are 1/2". So if you are connecting the drive sprocket to a motor, your motor shaft will need to be at least 1/2" in length.

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    wHAT IS THE SMALLEST LENGTH SHAFT I CAN USE FOR YOUR #25 DRIVE SPROCET?

  • how long does it take to receive your MACH3 Lic??

    We send out the Mach3 license on the same day unless the purchase was made on a weekend. You can call us anytime to expedite the license email.

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    how long does it take to receive your MACH3 Lic??

  • IS THERE A WAY TO GET RID OF THE PARALLEL CABLE AND SOMEHOW USE USB ?

    If you select the Settings Page and select or tick Auto Limit Override - this will allow you to back off the switch.

    Additional Information:
    limit and home switch

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    IS THERE A WAY TO GET RID OF THE PARALLEL CABLE AND SOMEHOW USE USB ?

  • HOSPITALS DO NOT ALLOW CELL PHONE USE DUE TO POTENTIAL INTERFERENCE. LAST WEEKEND I WAS IN A HOSPITAL WHERE THE TOP OF BUILDING STUDDED WITH TOWER ANTENNAS. WHY IT THAT PHONES WOULD CAUSE INTERFERENCE, BUT ANTENNAS NOT?

    It's a question of signal strength. Interference has been observed only very close to transmitting antennas where there is strong signal strength. Interference has been observed in some medical electronics due to hand-held cell phones. Roof-top antennas are some distance away from any susceptible electronics. In addition to proximity, the directionality of the antennas is important. Most rooftop antennas have strong gain in the forward direction—towards the horizon—and very low gain in the vertical direction. Finally, there are layers of building materials shielding the interior areas from the rooftop antennas. Proximity, directionality, shielding—all go towards reducing the signal strength inside a building due to the antennas on the roof so that interference is not generally an issue. This does not mean that you cannot receive the signals from the roof top antennas inside the building; it simply means that the received signals are not strong enough to cause interference. Gary H. Zeman, ScD, CHP

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    HOSPITALS DO NOT ALLOW CELL PHONE USE DUE TO POTENTIAL INTERFERENCE. LAST WEEKEND I WAS IN A HOSPITAL WHERE THE TOP OF BUILDING STUDDED WITH TOWER ANTENNAS. WHY IT THAT PHONES WOULD CAUSE INTERFERENCE, BUT ANTENNAS NOT?

  • HOW COMPLEX IS YOUR KIT TO ASSEMBLE, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY - HARD IT SETUP CONTROL THE LASER WITH MACH3?

    The blackTooth Laser cutter and Engraver can be built in a weekend. Take a look at the build instructions and try to determine if you feel you have sufficient capability to put together the laser system.

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    HOW COMPLEX IS YOUR KIT TO ASSEMBLE, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY - HARD IT SETUP CONTROL THE LASER WITH MACH3?

  • WHAT EFFECTS OF CELL PHONES WILL THERE BE ON YOUNGER PEOPLE OPPOSED TO OLDER PEOPLE? THE AGE OR STATE DEVELOPMENT EFFECT DANGERS A PHONE?

    Physical size of the subject affects the fraction of the total radiofrequency energy that is absorbed in the body. To account for this known effect, the maximum permissible exposure standards for radiofrequency energy were set for the worst-case condition, that is assuming the body size for maximal absorption at a given frequency. Thus the maximum permissible exposure standards are fully protective for bodies of different sizes. For more detailed information, see the answers and the cited references to questions 79, 109, 694, and 893 under the Nonionizing Radiation section of the Health Physics Society Ask The Expert Web page. Gary H. Zeman, ScD, CHP

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    WHAT EFFECTS OF CELL PHONES WILL THERE BE ON YOUNGER PEOPLE OPPOSED TO OLDER PEOPLE? THE AGE OR STATE DEVELOPMENT EFFECT DANGERS A PHONE?

  • is IT OK TO USE THICKER PLYWOOD (MATERIAL) to BUILD THE CNC MACHINE, BLACKFOOT, BLACKTOE?

    Yes, it is ok if the thickness is plus or minus +/- about 2mm.

    Additional Information:



    Additional Information:

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    is IT OK TO USE THICKER PLYWOOD (MATERIAL) to BUILD THE CNC MACHINE, BLACKFOOT, BLACKTOE?

  • Can I use Mach3 or 4 with your USB controller PCA?

    The USB controller board is currently only compatible with Planet-CNC software.

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    Can I use Mach3 or 4 with your USB controller PCA?

  • What is your shipping costs for the greenLean CNC machine to Perth Western Australia

    You can determine if the country is serviceable by:
    - selecting the items you want to purchase on the website
    - go to the cart (shopping cart top left of any webpage)
    - log in, or register
    - Enter the address and click on calculate shipping.

    The webpage will return the direct rates and whether your area is serviced or not. Feel free to enter any address as long as you are able to receive the package from that address.

    The shipping times are determined by the service you select in the shopping cart. If a machine is purchased, we generally have a one week lead time unless otherwise stated in the description of the machine's product page.

    Additional Information:

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    What is your shipping costs for the greenLean CNC machine to Perth Western Australia

  • THERE ANY STANDARD FOR A DISTANCE BETWEEN CELLULAR BASE STATION AND RESIDENTIAL AREA?

    The two main constraints on siting cellular base stations near residential areas are government exposure limits and local zoning ordinances. Various governments have limits for human exposure to radiofrequency (RF) energy that must be complied with in the siting of cellular base stations and other transmitters. In the United States, the relevant limits are those of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Cellular base stations use low-powered transmitters, and RF signal levels are invariably below FCC limits at any distance more than a few feet from the antennas. Thus it is entirely feasible to locate cellular base stations on rooftops of apartment buildings and to locate communications towers within residential areas and indeed these are both common practices. Local zoning ordinances are a different story. Local governments commonly restrict the location of communications towers through zoning ordinances, and they may have provisions that restrict cellular base stations in residential districts. Local attorneys or government officials should be consulted for advice about local requirements, which vary greatly among jurisdictions. Kenneth R. Foster Professor, Department of Bioengineering University of Pennsylvania

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    THERE ANY STANDARD FOR A DISTANCE BETWEEN CELLULAR BASE STATION AND RESIDENTIAL AREA?

  • WHICH RAILWAY STATION THE LARGEST IN WORLD?

    Grand Central Terminal, Park Avenue, New York is the largest railway station.

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    WHICH RAILWAY STATION THE LARGEST IN WORLD?

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