Can the hydrogen and methane in your fart catch fire or explode if your phone rings?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Your Phone Can Explode / Catch Fire If You Fart!
People are sharing a video on WhatsApp and social media platforms, claiming that it shows a phone exploding or catching fire after its owner farted!
Be Careful! ⛔ Never fart with your cell phone in your pocket ! Gases are flammable ! 😱🤣
Human fart contains Hydrogen and methane both can combust with a spark ,please be careful when you fart with your phone in your back pocket. Funny but so true😅😅
Presumably, the phone triggered the fire when it rang after the man farted… but is that really possible?
Recommended : Did A Ringing Phone Cause This Gas Stove Explosion?
https://twitter.com/AdrianTechARP/status/1661477579906486273
Truth : Your Phone Won’t Explode / Catch Fire If You Fart!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and shared on WhatsApp and social media, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : This Is An Old Video From South Africa
The viral video isn’t new. This video of a CCTV recording was recorded in South Africa in March 2020.
Fact #2 : It Was Not A Phone, But A Power Bank
The video does not show the man’s phone exploding or catching fire. Rather, it was a power bank that caught fire.
Fact #3 : Flatulence Is Combustible
Farts, or flatulence, is combustible, because it contains methane and hydrogen sulphide which are produced by bacteria digestion of our food. However, the power bank did not catch fire because the man farted.
Even if the man farted a great deal of combustible gas, there needs to be a spark for there to be any fire. Power banks don’t generate sparks. Phones, even when they are ringing, do not generate sparks – that is just an urban legend.
So flatulence may be combustible, but neither a phone or a power bank will set it off, because neither produce sparks or an open flame.
Fact #4 : Power Bank Apparently Overheated
At the time the incident happened, 29 year-old Lwando Mashiamahle was waiting for his girlfriend to buy a plane ticket at the OR Tambo International Airport in South Africa.
While sitting down to wait, he realised that the power bank in his pocket felt warm. But he didn’t think anything of it, until it suddenly burst into flames.
It felt quite hot in my pocket but I thought it was normal, like sometimes your phone heats up when you’re using it, but I never thought it could explode,
I was so shocked, I didn’t know what to do, I automatically just lost my mind. I was very, very scared.
Recommended : Apple Watch Explodes, Apple Tries To Cover It Up!
Fact #5 : He Was Not Injured By The Fire
Mashiamahle was not injured when his power bank burst into flames, because he was able to quickly take off his trousers, and avoid getting burnt.
Fortunately I have no injuries but my pants were burnt and I had to quickly find the nearest shop to buy a new pair.
He is very fortunate, as lithium battery fires are very strong and hard to put out.
Fact #6 : Phone / Power Bank Batteries Are A Fire Risk
Despite claims our phone or smartphone can spark flames in petrol / gas stations, or even cause a gas stove explosion, there is simply no scientific evidence for those urban legends.
The electrodynamic speakers in your phone vibrate to produce sound waves. They do not generate sparks. Without a source of sparks or an open flame, even a gas leak wouldn’t catch fire and explode.
The US FCC, US NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) and the Petroleum Equipment Institute have all confirmed that mobile phones do not pose a fire hazard.
The lithium ion battery in our phone and power bank, however, are a fire hazard. Roughly one in every 10 million lithium-ion batteries will fail and catch fire. That sounds like very low risk, but not when there are BILLIONS of lithium-ion batteries in use around the world!
That is why it is forbidden to pack any device with a lithium-ion battery into luggage that needs to be checked into an aircraft cargo hold. Everyone must carry their phone, computer and power bank using these lithium-based batteries into the cabin, so that if they catch fire, the crew are aware and can quickly put them out.
Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Recommended Reading
- Did Ray Stevenson Die Suddenly From COVID-19 Vaccine?!
- Is IKEA Malaysia Closing Down All Stores For Good?!
- Can Vitamin C + Prawns Poison Us With Arsenic?!
- Did Pentagon Just Get Hit By A Massive Explosion?!
- Did Dr. Rashid Buttar die suddenly from vaccine shedding?!
Support Us!
If you like our work, please support us by visiting our sponsors, or donating to our fund. Thank you!