November 05, 2007

Introduction:

From the 16^th Century on, Americans have been subjected to a wide variety of scams and bunco schemes. Most have something to do with money, a lot (especially those originating in DC, Denver, Pierre, Cheyenne, etc.) have something to do with money AND power – especially power expressed in money. The Great Tulip Panic in the 1630s, the Mississippi Bubble, the original Ponzi scheme, Social Security, modern “eminent domain/economic development” projects, and the plethora of Nigerian scams all have this in common. But sometimes, it seems that the only reason for a scam is sheer malevolence and nothing more. This is just such a situation: the “Shell E-Mail” scam.

I originally wrote this as an e-mail sent to friends, relatives, and business associates. Mama Liberty thought it deserved wider exposure. Government will not protect us from these sorts of things; police and law enforcement agencies ignore them (or promote their own version – been called by the Police Benevolence Association or the State Sheriffs League lately?); often there is no law against them. (No, Virginia, you CAN’T make everything that is bad or wrong or evil against the law.) We, as free people, must be aware and alert, and ready to take action to protect ourselves and our loved ones, castles, other property, and community against such things. Not all threats can be met by cold iron in your hand.

My message:
Dear friends and business associates:

I recently received an e-mail from a relative, with the subject: “Shell Oil Comments – A Must Read.” That message is reprinted at the end of this article. It is bogus. It is spreading a rumor which is absolutely false concerning dangers of cell phones while refueling vehicles. I sent my relative the following message, after again confirming some research I first did several years ago. What my relative had gotten (and forwarded to dozens of people) was a revival of an old internet-scam, not much different, really from Nigeria scams, bogus stories about Proctor & Gamble Satan worship, or atheists trying to end religious programming on TV, except that this bogus story actually can harm serious efforts to promote proper refueling of vehicles and worker safety. Please feel free to pass this message to others, or to contact me with questions.

(s) Nathan A. Barton, CE, PE, DEE, Environmental Engineer

My response to the bogus message:

SUBJECT:  BOGUS "CELL-PHONE FIRE WARNING"
Dear friends:
The message which you recently received from <Relative 1> and <Friend 1> is a HOAX.  Someone (not <Relative 1 or Friend 1>) has intentionally taken legitimate information from web-sites and other sources and added false information to it for some perverted purpose, to scare people about using cell phones at service stations while fueling.  The "information" provided about "150 refueling fires caused by cell phones" is totally false - a fabrication, an outright lie.  Please forward this message to other people whom you may already have forwarded the first message to.  We have enough things to worry about today without wasting time or nervous energy fearing bogus threats.

I am an environmental engineer in private practice, with more than 20 years in the U S Army Corps of Engineers and 17 years in private practice as an engineer in ten states and five foreign countries.  As part of my practice, I teach "Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response" (HAZWOPER) classes in accordance with OSHA requirements for people who work with hazardous materials and hazardous wastes, including fuel; I also teach mining safety (MSHA) classes for miners in both hard-rock/coal and sand and gravel operations, and I analyze facilities for environmental safety and health issues.  I can tell you that this is a completely false claim.

But don't just take my word for it.  The bogus story claims that their information comes from the Petroleum Equipment Institute, but mysteriously, the URL (web address) embedded in the message doesn't work.  When you go to the REAL PEI site, you will find exactly how someone has corrupted their message about stopping static when refueling your vehicle.  Go part way down the page, just past the list of safe rules (notice, only 3 and not 4 rules) and you see:  "Are cell phones responsible?  No. We have not documented a single incident that was caused by a cellular telephone."  They go on to talk about the very message that was forwarded to you.

Also, visit another web site, one of several which attempts to provide accurate rumors about hoaxes like this.  It states in part:

Summary of the eRumor

A message said to have resulted from a conversation with Robert Renkes of The Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) who says there have been more than 150 cases of fires caused by sparks from static electricity igniting gasoline vapors. The eRumor says it has happened mostly to women, mostly with Dodge Caravans, and mostly among people who have re-entered their cars during refueling. The email encourages caution when drivers are filling their tanks at gas stations.

The Truth

Robert Renkes, the Petroleum Equipment Institute, and a report on fires started by static electricity are real. The institute is sponsoring a project called "Stop Static."

Static electricity is the build-up of an electrical charge, such as around a person, that can be discharged when coming into contact with the ground or anything connected to the ground, such as a light switch, an elevator door, or even another person. When that happens, people feel a "shock" as the electricity discharges. To minimize the danger of static sparks igniting gas vapors, the pump nozzles at gas stations have a wire that "grounds" the nozzles to the equipment. The Petroleum Equipment Institute says there are many fires that have been started by flame, cigarettes, or electrical sparks, but until recently, there had not been much documentation about fires started by sparks from static electricity. Further, the fires happened where there was no open flame, no cigarette, and the pump nozzle was properly grounded.

In a report on their website (www.pei.org), the institute says it has collected data regarding more than 150 fires that they believe have been started by static sparking. They recommend more research, but their conclusion is that most of the fires resulted from a motorist scooting in and out of the car during the refueling, which caused a build-up of static electricity. Then when the motorist touched the pump handle or the area around the gas cap, the spark discharge[d] and ignited the gas vapors.

The "Stop Static" campaign recommends three rules for making refueling a vehicle safer:
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Extinguish any cigarette.
3. Don't get in and out of the car during the refueling.

Some of the other findings in the PEI report include that all of the fires took place on days of dry weather, usually also cold weather, and that the drivers mostly wore shoes with rubber soles. One of the versions of this eRumor says the incidents happened mostly to women, but there is no information in the report about that.

The PEI report did not blame any of the fires on cell phones. Although some gas companies and cell phone manufacturers say cell phones should not be used at gas stations, there have been no gasoline fires or explosions that anybody knows of caused by radio transmissions from cell phones. CLICK HERE for more details on that.

If you need more confirmation, or believe you have evidence that contradicts this, please contact me.  I'll be glad to examine it. In the meantime, help stamp out rumors like this.  I don't know what perverted thrill someone got from creating this story out of whole cloth, but their motivation cannot be good.

Oh, and yes, you will see a lot of labels of fuel pumps at various convenience stores, service stations, truck stops, etc. that warn you to turn off your cell phone.  These are just proof that even petroleum distributors and sellers get fooled by hoaxes as well - as even at least one state legislature has.  Ask the manager of the store to research on their own and find out that what they are doing is spreading a vicious rumor which, if anything, harms the industry campaigns to improve consumer safety, and makes people skeptical of ALL warnings.

Nathan A. Barton, CE, PE, DEE
Environmental Engineer
E-mail: liberty.ritter –at- gmail.com (Special e-mail just for this: feel free to distribute)

The original scam message:

Shell Oil Comments - A Must Read
Safety Alert! Here's some reasons why we don't allow cell phones in operating areas, propylene oxide handling and storage area, propane, gas and diesel refueling areas.

The Shell Oil Company recently issued a warning after three incidents in which mobile phones (cell phones) ignited fumes during fueling operations

In the first case, The phone was placed on the car's trunk lid during fueling; it rang and the ensuing fire destroyed the car and the gasoline pump.

In the second, an individual Suffered severe burns to their face when fumes ignited as they answered a call while refueling their car!

And in the third, An individual suffered burns to the thigh and groin as fumes ignited when the phone, which was in their pocket, rang while they were fueling their car.

You should know that: Mobile Phones can ignite fuel or fumes

Mobile phones that light up when switched on or when they ring release enough energy to provide a spark for ignition

Mobile phones should not be used in filling stations, or when fueling lawn mowers, boat, Etc.

Mobile phones should not be used, or should be turned off, around other materials that generate flammable or explosive fumes or dust, (i.e., solvents, chemicals, gases, grain dust, etc.)

To Sum it up, here are the: Four Rules for Safe Refueling

1) Turn off engine
2) Don't smoke
3) Don't use your cell phone - leave it inside the vehicle or turn it off
4) Don't re-enter your vehicle during fueling

Bob Renkes of Petroleum Equipment Institute is working on a campaign to try and make people aware of fires as a result of 'static electricity' 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, they went back to pull the nozzle out and 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 re-entered and the nozzle was touched during refueling from a variety of makes and models.  Some resulted in extensive damage to the vehicle, to the station, and to the customer.
8) Seventeen fires 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/ > Once here, click in the center of the screen where it says 'Stop Static'.

I ask you to please send this in formation 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.

End of the bogus message

For more information, read this 2002 article from Von Mises: “New Technology, Old Scams”

Nathan Barton is writing this from a wonderful place in the West, which might be in the Black Hills of South Dakota or Wyoming, or might be in one of the Four Corners States. Exactly where it is, the breezes blow with the scent of liberty, and the sound of the pines or the pinions is the sound of freedom. For thousands of years, people have fought and died for the liberty that Americans in the great spaces of the West enjoy, and he writes these commentaries in the hopes that continued generations will be able to do so, until the end of Time.

Archives

What is a "person" In modern America?

Presidential Power

Libertarian Proposals For The Constitution (Part One)

Libertarian Proposals For The Constitution (Part Two)

Who is the enemy of free speech?

Bumper Stickers - Fact and Fiction

The Truth About Depleted Uranium

Gun-Free and Proud: a new tactic for a new generation

A Christmas Gift of Love

Palestinian Suicide Bomber - Fact or Myth?

The First Great Railroad Fight of the 21st Century

We All Love To Hate "Big Oil"

Immigration and The REAL ID

Counting Our Blessings On Liberty Day

More Victims Disarmed By OSHA Regulation

"Islamist Terrorism" and the US Role: a response to Ivan Eland

Science and Economics Vs Green (And Other) Nonsense

Complete Archives for Nathan Barton