Phones Do Not Really Cause Gas Cylinder Explosions, This Does

There have been videos and pictures online that prove that phones can cause gas explosions, along with messages and other precautionary warnings about phones and gas cylinders.

Let's find out if this is true.

Firstly, for an explosion to occur with a gas cylinder, there must be a spark of a flammable material with oxygen being exposed to heat. Can phones actually generate enough heat to cause an ignition? No. Cause if that where the case, we would probably get burnt every now and then while answering calls.

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The reason why people share these kind of news, I figured, was to ensure safety in our homes. Most gas stations also advice that phones should be switched off when customers are coming to the station. However, this is not because the cell phones could cause an explosion.

In fact there's no record anywhere that linked a phone to any gas station explosion. The reason why some of these fuel stations ask that phones be switched off is to avoid distractions – like people crashing into the station or into other cars.

Experiments have been carried out by some scientists to even test the likelihood of phones causing explosions. However, the chances that this could happen, scientifically was 0.99%.

So what actually causes gas explosions in kitchens?

There have been cases of people who turn on the gas and get distracted with their phones. Now by the time they remember to light it, the gas must have circulated, and the slightest flick of fire can cause an explosion. This is mostly why, it's advisable not to use phones in the kitchen.

Other causes of explosion can be a gas leak from a faulty cylinder. It's also not advisable to shake the cylinder when you want to find out how much gas remaining.