Re: Subject: Safety Reminder

[Embryp]

You may have just discovered the reason for spontaneous Human combustion, a combination of static discharge and flatulence.
I've done considerable research on this subject since it was first brought up. The most dangerous scenario appears to be plastic gas cans on truck bed liners. It appears a spark from static built up between liner and bed can ignite the gasoline vapors. Always place a plastic can on the ground before filling, better yet, spend $50- $100 US to purchase a proper can.
I wonder if the myriad of plastic found on today's vehicles contribute to static discharge.
I've also spent considerable time searching for intrinsically safe cell phones. So far, as I expected, I have found only one, it's made by Motorola, is only available in a 0.6 watt version, which indicates something, and requires a matching intrinsically safe battery. Intrinsically safe equipment is marked with AF, has to come from the factory as such, cannot be field modified to meet specs and requires service be performed by the factory essentially.
I also found mention of vibrators and headset jacks being a potential spark generator.
Edi was right on mentioning dropping a phone can cause sparks from the battery terminals, it is the worst possible scenario, especially since the highest concentration of vapor is at ground level.
phe
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I'll give you a completely different angle guaranteed to bring this
discussion from the sublime to the ridicolous.

A woman here was fairly seriously injured aboard ship, when the toilet bowl
was partially empty of water and suer gases came back into the cubicle.
Underwear on nylons provided the spark, and she was literally blown off the
seat. The phones could be getting the blame in the wrong.