Stephen Turvey cooking on gas

December 5th, 2002

My good friend, and ex-colleague, Stephen has launched his own website. He actually launched it on December the 1st but I’ve neglected to mention until now. Like a hawk, Stephen has unearthed some fascinating information. This morning I have been enlightened as to why I must turn off my mobile phone at the petrol station – something I always think about and obey, but never really know why:

“There is a small but real danger in using a mobile phone at a petrol filling station. The batteries that are used in the phone can deliver enough power to ignite petrol, diesel or liquefied petroleum gas vapour and the ringer (usually a piezoelectric device) uses more than 100 volts for excitation. There is also a risk of the radio frequency signal inducing a current in any metal that may be nearby–because a mobile phone emits a 5-watt signal, this really could ignite fuel vapour.”

So, best not ignore those signs any more. Having said that, about a year ago I went out on the town in Milton Keynes with Mike Hoddy and he filled up his Corsa at 2am whilst smoking a fag and the engine still running. He, was, I confess a little away with the fairies as his car had been violated whilst we were boogying in Milton Keynes’ theatre district. I let him off because his dad owns a petrol station and the geezer’s just gotta know what he’s doing, right? The madness is, that whilst he was smoking and the engine was running, I still reached into my pocket and turned my mobile off.

A far better use for the mobile phone is to protect a child from malaria. This is the truth and this is what we must do.

Tags: Life