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Electric Man!

Tribune photo by KATHY MOORE

Electric Man (aka Phil Morgan) keeps an eye on his arch-nemesis car keys.

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By PHILIP MORGAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 9, 2007

TAMPA - During these crisp days of low humidity, I morph into Electric Man, able to shoot sparks from my fingers.

I'm a cowering superhero, however, afraid to touch anything metal. I wield my car key like a wand, tapping each doorknob to divert the shock and escape the sting.

For the longest time, I viewed my relationship with static electricity as a mere inconvenience — Mother Nature making me look like a ninny. But one day, I noticed the warning sign on a gas pump. I realized, to my shock, that Electric Man's special powers could spark an inferno. That's why I hug my car, bravely bearing the pain, before reaching for the nozzle.

As it turns out, that's prudent behavior. The Petroleum Equipment Institute has documented more than 160 cases of static electricity sparking fires at the pump. One person died, says Robert Renkes, executive vice president and general counsel of the Tulsa, Okla.-based organization.

It happens rarely because people almost always discharge their static electricity while getting out of their cars. They have seven or eight opportunities to touch neutralizing objects — from the door frame to the handle to the button on the gas pump — before touching the gas nozzle, Renkes says.

Those who spark the fires tend to be trim, young soccer moms: She starts pumping gas and leaves the nozzle on automatic while she gets back in the car, perhaps to put the credit card back in her purse, or check on the kids, or simply keep warm. Having left the door open, she swivels out of the seat without touching anything. When she reaches for the gas nozzle, the spark ignites the vapors.

Bigger people, Renkes notes, tend to grab the door frame for support while getting out, thereby discharging their static electricity.

Proper warning labels started going up on gas pumps in many states about four years ago. And Renkes has talked about the phenomenon on CNN and "Good Morning America" and in "Good Housekeeping" magazine, among other outlets. Renkes believes that the number of fires has declined and credits the increased publicity for getting the word out.

(Contrary to urban legend and improper warnings at some gas stations, using a cell phone while pumping gas will not spark a fire, Renkes says.)

What's going on here, basically, is atomic warfare at the seat-of-the-pants level. Here's the scenario: As I swivel out of the car, my pants either pull negatively charged electrons off the material in the car seat, or the car seat pulls electrons off my pants. (This happens at the shoes-on-the-carpet level, too.) Either way, I'm out of balance — I have a positive charge or a negative charge — and Mother Nature really hates that. So when I touch a good conductor, like a metal door handle, the electrons fly toward it so fast, they heat up the air molecules. And sparks fly.

Some materials more readily give up their electrons to other materials. A wool carpet, for example, loses electrons to rubber shoe soles. Nylon in the car seat gives up electrons to polyester in the pants.

It takes 2,000 to 4,000 volts for people to feel the pain, scientists say. Some people generate thousands more volts when they get out of their cars. The discharge doesn't kill them, as a toaster in the bathtub would, because there's not enough of a current, explains David Rabson, a University of South Florida physics professor.

Static electricity abounds when the air is dry, and that's why I have mixed feelings about the season. I love the cool days, but I walk around in apprehension. Like Pavlov's dogs, I know what to expect.

One way I avoid car-door handle shock is by grabbing the door frame and holding on until I'm all the way out of the car. Wearing all-cotton clothes would help, but I don't want to spend my life ironing. I've heard that rubbing a fabric softener sheet across the car seat eliminates the problem. It seems to, but I'm not sure it will work every time. Just as I get lulled into dropping my guard — zzzzt!

It's weary labor, being Electric Man. I stay vigilant into the spring, continuing to fend off misery with my car keys. By that time, I'm suffering atomic combat fatigue.

Eventually, I see sweat on my skin and know that blessed humidity has returned — the water in the air helps prevent static buildup.

Soon, the car keys go back in the pocket. Electric Man once again becomes just another mild-mannered reporter.

Reporter Philip Morgan can be reached at (813) 259-7609 or pmorgan@tampatrib.com.

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