1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000 On MythBusters... 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Am I missing an eyebrow? 3 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:09,000 Danger at the gas pump. 4 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:12,000 Our cell phones triggering deadly explosions. 5 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:17,000 Can high altitudes cause big problems for silicon implants? 6 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:21,000 If I were in there with the breast implants, I'd probably be dead about now. 7 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:23,000 And computer drives. 8 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:26,000 Have they reached dangerous warp speeds? 9 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:31,000 Oh my God! It's a horror show! 10 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,000 Who are the MythBusters? 11 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:36,000 Adam Savage 12 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:38,000 That's right, you've got some kind of bogus minister thing. 13 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,000 It's not a bogus ministry. I've performed a dozen weddings already. 14 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:43,000 And Jamie Heinemann 15 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:45,000 Farewell, cruel world. 16 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:50,000 Between them, more than 30 years special effects experience. 17 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:51,000 You're kind of sexy. 18 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:53,000 They don't just tell the myths. 19 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:57,000 They put them to the test. 20 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:13,000 Hey, wake up, farboy. 21 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:14,000 What? 22 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:18,000 You helped me with directions to Antiong and lost. 23 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:26,000 What are we doing at the Stoke Gas and Oil Memorabilia Town in Santa Rosa, California? 24 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:31,000 We're here to see if you can accidentally blow up a gas station with a cell phone. 25 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:34,000 And even if we fail, do we still get to blow something up? 26 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:35,000 Oh yeah. 27 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:36,000 Excellent. 28 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:38,000 So what exactly is this myth? 29 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:45,000 It's an email myth that says that the use of a cell phone near a gas station could cause an accidental explosion. 30 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:50,000 And in fact, people have bought into this and on some gas stations near the gas pumps, you can see a sign saying, 31 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:52,000 please don't use your cell phone here. 32 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,000 But also it's a very good story. 33 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:58,000 And a very good story is very powerful and promotes belief. 34 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:04,000 Heather Joseph Withle, resident folklorist, has another dramatic cell phone explosion story. 35 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:09,000 Well, the story goes that there's an executive speeding along on the freeway in Los Angeles. 36 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:15,000 And all of a sudden he hears the ding, ding, ding and looks down and he sees that his car is just about out of gas. 37 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:22,000 So cursing and frustrated, he gets off the freeway, he drives up to a gas station, gets out, starts pumping the gas, 38 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:26,000 takes out his cell phone and calls the office. 39 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:33,000 At which point there's a tremendous fireball that engulfs the executive and then the entire gas station explodes. 40 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:41,000 There have been more than 150 gas station fires across the United States since the early 90s. 41 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:44,000 Could cell phones be the culprit? 42 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:55,000 The Stoke Gas and Oil memorabilia town is an ideal location for road testing the cell phone myth. 43 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:56,000 What are you doing? 44 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:58,000 It's kind of a low rider. 45 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:03,000 Fred Stoke used to collect tractor parts until oil cans proved to be more rewarding. 46 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:04,000 Wow! 47 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,000 Oh, that's amazing! 48 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:13,000 This is the largest one quart oil can collection in the world. There's over 10,000 different cans here. 49 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:16,000 I'm going to do my house like this. 50 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:23,000 We're going to need a big blast chamber. It's something large enough to contain a large explosion and protect us. 51 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:30,000 And also to control environmental conditions like humidity and temperature and that kind of thing. 52 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:34,000 We're going to need gas and a way to get it in there in a vapor form. 53 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:39,000 And we're going to put a cell phone in there and call it and see what happens. 54 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:50,000 The chamber will be constructed from Lexan, a polycarbonate product favored by race car drivers and jet pilots. 55 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:52,000 I find this very appealing. 56 00:03:54,000 --> 00:04:00,000 Polycarbonate is a plastic that is extremely tough. You can about fold it in half and it won't break. 57 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:06,000 It'll stop a bullet, it'll stop all sorts of shrapnel and I just love this stuff. 58 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:08,000 I love it! 59 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:14,000 Anticipating a big bang, the guys are constructing the chamber with a failure point. 60 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:17,000 The center of the two halves of the box. 61 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:25,000 So that if the blast is too big instead of the Lexan failing or the aluminum welds failing, the box itself will just poof separate into two halves. 62 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:26,000 Like a clamp. 63 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:29,000 Yeah. The blast we might deal with might be a lot larger than we think. 64 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:35,000 And so building in a failure point for this that it can fail safe seems like a good idea. 65 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:37,000 Plus it'll look really cool. 66 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:39,000 Oh yeah, it'll definitely look really cool. 67 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:47,000 Considering Americans pump gas around 12 billion times a year, there are plenty of opportunities for disaster. 68 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:55,000 Electrical sparks and gasoline vapors are a potent mix and it seems there is much more to this story. 69 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:59,000 You know, I think it's highly unlikely that a cell phone is going to do this. 70 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:02,000 You know, it seems like a dumb idea to me. 71 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:05,000 Well actually it turns out that there's another part to this myth. 72 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:09,000 It seems that women are largely responsible for the gas station explosions. 73 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:13,000 Specifically because they get in and out of their cars while filling up. 74 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:15,000 And so they'll build up a static charge on their body. 75 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:22,000 And when they touch either the gas tank lip or the filler nozzle, that will ignite the gas and cause an explosion. 76 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:23,000 That seems more likely. 77 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:25,000 I think so. 78 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:30,000 Over 50% of the accidents occur when a person re-enters her car while refueling. 79 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:36,000 Bob Rankis of the Petroleum Equipment Institute has studied the hard data. 80 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:40,000 10 years of statistics place women in the most danger. 81 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:43,000 We've had 152 cases now that we've confirmed. 82 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:47,000 78% are women, 22% are men. 83 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:51,000 The problem comes from getting back into the car while refueling. 84 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:55,000 Electrostatic charges are generated on the seat and clothing due to movement. 85 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:58,000 Getting out takes the charge with you. 86 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:05,000 So if your first touch is near the open fuel tank, the resulting discharge spark could be deadly. 87 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,000 So, silver car, not getting in, he's done. 88 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:17,000 A misbusters stakeout showed very clearly that women were more likely to get back into the car while the gas was pumping. 89 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:23,000 When you broke it down to percentages, women were actually six times more likely to get back in their cars than men were. 90 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:28,000 To investigate this second theory, static electricity, 91 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:35,000 they'll also need to build a device that generates body to clothing friction and hopefully create a big spark. 92 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:40,000 So the misbusters are shopping for something shocking. 93 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:43,000 So do you ever have customers come in and say, could you sell me something different? 94 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:46,000 This one causes too much static shock when I wear it. 95 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:49,000 No, but they say this causes too much shock. 96 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:54,000 Yeah, we have to define our terms here, I guess. 97 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:57,000 Should we get two? Two of each? 98 00:06:57,000 --> 00:06:58,000 Why do we need two? 99 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:00,000 Well, one for each of us to wear. 100 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:03,000 Well, if we're going to get two of them, we might as well get two. 101 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:05,000 Yeah, why don't we get one of those and one of the regular ones? 102 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:06,000 Sure. 103 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:14,000 The experiment is now focused on creating and storing a strong spark. 104 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:20,000 No one will be allowed inside the blast chamber, so the spark has to be discharged remotely. 105 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:28,000 So this is called a lighting jar and it's actually just tupperware with foil on the inside and foil on the outside. 106 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:33,000 And it's an early capacitor, which is basically an energy storage device. 107 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:44,000 Around 1750 in the Dutch city of Leiden, scientists discovered that two conductors separated by an insulator could store an electrical charge. 108 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:53,000 Benjamin Franklin used it to shock his party guests, who stood in a circle while the current surged through them, not a stunt for people with weak hearts. 109 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:59,000 So the electrons are leaping off the PVC and being stored in the lighting jar. 110 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:02,000 Ooh, alright, good. 111 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:07,000 Oh, wow, I got like three shocks from there. 112 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:15,000 With the shocking garments in hand, they're off to the auto yard to find a suitable car seat. 113 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:23,000 You think we could build some panty friction in the bed here? 114 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:25,000 Well, that's what it's for, isn't it? 115 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:27,000 Well, we won't be the first. 116 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:31,000 These panties had no idea what they were in for. 117 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:36,000 This is like where panties go and they've been very, very bad. 118 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:44,000 I mean, I don't know which one to actually go with anymore. 119 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:49,000 At this point, it's just like a sea of rubbing and vinyl and wet car seats. 120 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:51,000 It's like high school. 121 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:54,000 That's actually good. 122 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:58,000 I got more of a charge off of this than anything yet. 123 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:03,000 They have the seat of choice, but will it provide the necessary charge? 124 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:06,000 I don't see any sparks. 125 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:08,000 Watch this. 126 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:17,000 Back at Fred Stokes Gas Museum, the fire department has arrived to supervise the experiment. 127 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:23,000 So is it cell phones or static sparks that cause gas station fires? 128 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:27,000 Well, let me see. We've got a crash test dummy with his legs removed. 129 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:36,000 We've got a panty static generator with leopard fur and panties wrapped around it. 130 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:38,000 It's not exactly hard science. 131 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:45,000 Nonetheless, the firemen want a much smaller bank, too much gasoline vapor inside the chamber, 132 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:48,000 and it becomes a very large bomb. 133 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,000 What's the potential? What could go wrong? 134 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:55,000 Break all the windows around here. That might be the worst case. 135 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:57,000 I don't want to see that happen. 136 00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:59,000 Jamie wants big bombs. 137 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,000 Down boy, down boy! 138 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:06,000 He's being a little conservative, which is his job, and I appreciate that. 139 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:09,000 We will still try to get the biggest explosion we can. 140 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:13,000 Time for the fire protection suit. 141 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:17,000 Delivering the gasoline to the chamber is Jamie's responsibility. 142 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:22,000 He will use an aerosol device to spray high concentrations of flammable fuel vapor 143 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:25,000 directly inside the blast chamber. 144 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:29,000 So I rigged up the cell phone in there. 145 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:30,000 Okay. 146 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:33,000 When I call it, it says, detonate. 147 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,000 Very cute. 148 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:40,000 Okay, we're going to start the fuel. You guys ready? 149 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:46,000 For gas to explode, you need the right mix of fuel and air. 150 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:52,000 As the concentration edges towards the flammable level, their gas meter emits a warning. 151 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:53,000 Okay. 152 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:58,000 The chamber is primed and ready for the cell phone blast test. 153 00:10:58,000 --> 00:10:59,000 Calling now. 154 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:06,000 Hello, explosion? Hello? Hello? 155 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:13,000 He never answers his phone. 156 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:18,000 Both Jamie and Adam are confident the cell phone won't cause an explosion. 157 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:22,000 It creates heat, but not enough to cause ignition. 158 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:25,000 Time to test the second theory. 159 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:30,000 Okay, guys, we're done with the cell phone and we're going to the panty-static generator. 160 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:33,000 Keep as many unnecessary people back. 161 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:35,000 I really have some concerns about that thing. I really do. 162 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:38,000 Okay. All right, I will tell everybody. Thank you. 163 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:43,000 You'll notice the firemen are all kind of standing a lot further back than we are. 164 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:44,000 Yeah. 165 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:47,000 So this is not to be toyed around with. It is a bomb. 166 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:48,000 Okay. 167 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:49,000 Okay. 168 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:56,000 With the chamber saturated in gasoline, it's time now for Adam's panty-static generator to spark an explosion. 169 00:11:56,000 --> 00:12:02,000 All right, we're going in five, four, three, two, one. 170 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:07,000 We should have had a spark right about then. 171 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:10,000 Come on. Come on, baby. 172 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:14,000 Okay, I've gone through what should have been like at least three sparks so far. 173 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:15,000 Okay. 174 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:22,000 Even with sparks and the heavy fuel load, the gas will only blow if conditions are absolutely optimal. 175 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:24,000 So far, nothing is happening. 176 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:29,000 How hard can it be to blow up a room full of gasoline? 177 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:35,000 My guess is just a wrong mixture. Just that simple. Wrong mixture. 178 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:38,000 That's it. We're packing up and we're going to go home. 179 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:42,000 Without tail between our legs. 180 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:49,000 So it's back to the drawing board to see if cell phones or static sparks can cause gas pump fires. 181 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:54,000 Ignition is still proving to be difficult, but the personal flash point is rising. 182 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:59,000 Wait, wait. Hold on, Adam, before you break up all the way up. All afternoon's work. 183 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:01,000 Give me just a static. 184 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:05,000 I thought all four sides were taped. 185 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:10,000 You're a nice guy in all, but sometimes you're a bull in a china shop. 186 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:14,000 I'm not going to respond to that. 187 00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:21,000 Working with a smaller blast box should help them figure out the right fuel-air mix to achieve ignition. 188 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:27,000 You know, all of that spray presents a lot of surface area, and I think it's probably sinking down and collecting right at the ground. 189 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:34,000 My guess is that one of our mistakes with the big chamber was that we had the ignition source too far above the ground. 190 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:39,000 So let's just see whether this works. 191 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:44,000 To get a bigger spark, Jamie connects a device called a Jacob's Ladder. 192 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:50,000 You'll be familiar with its climbing arc from those old science fiction movies, but this is no toy. 193 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:55,000 It's high voltage and potentially lethal. 194 00:13:55,000 --> 00:14:00,000 Now be careful on this metal, you know, we've got some pretty heavy duty currents here, so. 195 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:05,000 All right, shall we lose the spark and get some gasoline going and blow some stuff up in miniature? 196 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:10,000 Is gasoline flammable? You'll find out after this! 197 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:14,000 3, 2, 1. 198 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:18,000 Hey, we made something close up! 199 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:21,000 We made something close up! 200 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:23,000 Oh, my God! 201 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:26,000 I'm so sorry. 202 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:29,000 I'm so sorry. 203 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:32,000 I'm so sorry. 204 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:36,000 I made something close up! 205 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:46,000 Adam has improved his lighting jar. The heavy duty version will provide a potent spark. 206 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:52,000 And finally, they are getting an ideal blend of fuel and air. 207 00:14:55,000 --> 00:15:00,000 Well, I lost a lot of hair on my arm. How about that? 208 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:03,000 It definitely works. 209 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:05,000 Okay, now I'm afraid. 210 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:08,000 Adding more gasoline won't guarantee a bigger blast. 211 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:10,000 You watch yourself there, Ombre. 212 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:12,000 The critical mix needs more air. 213 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:16,000 That's probably it. That's probably all that it takes. 214 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:19,000 Do you think there's anything left of a fume in there? 215 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:21,000 Go, go, go! 216 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:23,000 Okay, here I go. 217 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:25,000 Let's talk more sparks. 218 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:29,000 Stop your grinning and grab your linen. Here we go! 219 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:31,000 Oh! 220 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:34,000 The Heinemann was right! 221 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:39,000 We now know exactly what kind of concentration of fuel that we have to have for ignition. 222 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:44,000 We know that we can create a spark from static electricity off of fabric. 223 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:47,000 And we know that it is something that we have to be very careful with. 224 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:54,000 I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine. 225 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:57,000 Am I missing an eyebrow? 226 00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:59,000 I am missing an eyebrow, aren't I? 227 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:01,000 You lost a lot of hair up there too. 228 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:02,000 You're kidding me. 229 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:06,000 You're alright, it's not going to look weird after a day or two. 230 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:14,000 I think it took him about five seconds to worry about whether he's going to look funny for his date. 231 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:16,000 I have a date tomorrow. 232 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:19,000 Is it survival more important or sex? 233 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:23,000 All of the names are science. 234 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:26,000 Oh, okay, that was probably one of the stupidest things I've ever done. 235 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:30,000 No problem now with the static spark. 236 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:33,000 The mix is right and ignition comes easily. 237 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:35,000 But what about the cell phone? 238 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:38,000 Will it prove to be the cause of gas station fires? 239 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:41,000 Nada. Miente. 240 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:43,000 Second call. 241 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,000 No explosion. 242 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:51,000 So Bob, have you heard of this myth regarding exploding a gas station by using a cell phone? 243 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:57,000 Not only did I hear of it, I'm quoted in the myth that says Mr. Rinkus says don't use cell phones. 244 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:00,000 They can cause fire at the pump. 245 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:07,000 That email's gone around and people take that literally because they are believing everything they see in emails unfortunately. 246 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:16,000 After researching hundreds of gas station fires, Bob Rinkus of the Petroleum Equipment Institute says cell phones are in the clear. 247 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:23,000 Here in Semple, we don't have any accidents involving a cell phone at a service station. It just doesn't happen. 248 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:31,000 But a dramatic fire department demonstration clearly shows what can happen when static is involved. 249 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:36,000 People who re-enter the car during refueling face the biggest risk. 250 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:43,000 They're typically younger people because older people will go like this to get out of their car and when they do that they discharge. 251 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:50,000 So they just simply pop out of the car, not touch anything, not shut the door, not ground themselves, not touch this. 252 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:57,000 They'll take one, two steps. They're wearing neoprene shoes so they're not discharging, they're not dissipating on the concrete. 253 00:17:57,000 --> 00:18:01,000 They touch a piece of metal here. The vapors are coming out of the tank. 254 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:09,000 The air is coming in from outside so that's two parts of the fire triangle and the third part is the source of ignition which is the spark. 255 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:20,000 The problem comes is when they overreact they go, oh my goodness, and they leave a stream of gasoline, they already have a fire, it gets underneath the car, or they could get it on themselves. 256 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:28,000 With the cell phone myth well and truly busted, they still want to make their own big static back. 257 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:34,000 So they're back at Fred Stokes Gasoline Museum with the fire department there to monitor safety. 258 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:36,000 Here it comes, the whole thing in there. 259 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:44,000 It's maker break time so today the guys are using a much higher concentration of gas in a much finer spray. 260 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:48,000 OK, that's it. 261 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:51,000 Alright, here we go. Watching for spark. 262 00:18:57,000 --> 00:19:02,000 Despite a heavy saturation of gasoline vapors, still no blast. 263 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:10,000 This is a pain in the butt, you know, we've got the darn thing so it's foggy with gas fumes in there and no boom. What are you going to do? 264 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:13,000 Lighten jar, I am finished with you. 265 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:19,000 Desperate to get their big bang, the boys decide to use extra juice. 266 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:20,000 Good spark. 267 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:22,000 Is that good? 268 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:23,000 Yeah. 269 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:28,000 We're using a spark that's actually a smaller spark in terms of the kilovolts, but it's longer. 270 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:37,000 We're using neon transformer to generate it, but lasts as long as we want so I feel totally confident we're going to get the concussive boom that we want right now. 271 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:39,000 OK Adam, let's get ready. 272 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:42,000 Come on, OK, here we go. Stand by. 273 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:44,000 I feel like something's going to happen this time. 274 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:47,000 In three, two, one. 275 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:02,000 Wow, I forgot to watch. That was really cool. 276 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:06,000 Right on. 277 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:08,000 Hey, we got it. 278 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:10,000 Yeah. 279 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:11,000 That was a lot of force. 280 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:12,000 Yes it was. 281 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:16,000 Let's burst apart this 24 foot seam of metal tape. 282 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:17,000 Well, it's about time, huh? 283 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:20,000 It's about time. Absolutely right. 284 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:29,000 Don't be fooled. Gasoline vapors and a strong spark under the right conditions spell danger at the fuel pump. 285 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:34,000 Bob, what is your recommendation if there is a spark, if there is ignition? What should you do? 286 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:39,000 If you discharge here and you get a spark, don't be a hero. Don't take your nozzle out. 287 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:46,000 Your gas tank will contain the gasoline. We don't want any gasoline spilling on the forecorder, on the pavement. 288 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:49,000 Stand away and notify the station immediately. 289 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:54,000 Adam, what do you reckon? Myth busted? 290 00:20:54,000 --> 00:21:02,000 Absolutely. This myth is definitely busted. No cell phone will ever cause a gas station to ignite. Just not going to happen. 291 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:03,000 I agree. 292 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:09,000 Jamie. 293 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:11,000 Yo. 294 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:14,000 I got breasts. Check this out. 295 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:27,000 There's a myth that when you go up on an airplane, the reduction in pressure will explode your implants. 296 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:37,000 The basic story is that there's a woman with silicone implants on an airplane and there's a depressurized cabin because it's a local flight perhaps from LA to San Francisco. 297 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:51,000 And as the plane goes higher, the implants get bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger until finally they explode as she's walking down the aisle to the lavatory to see what's going on with her implants. 298 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:57,000 There we go. Oh, sample not for implant. 299 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:01,000 One size fits all. There's not like a bigger or smaller one. 300 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:05,000 So we've got the implants, right? What else are we going to need for this, Jamie? 301 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:10,000 We've got to have a chamber that will handle both pressure and, you know, vacuum. 302 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:12,000 Positive and negative pressure. 303 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:19,000 Yeah. And we've got to have a vacuum pump, a pressure pump, and to make it look good, you know, put the implants in a body of some sort, maybe a... 304 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:24,000 The ballistics gel would be perfect for that. We could make up a torso out of ballistics gel and put the implants in. 305 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:28,000 It would be very close to skin so we could probably see, you know, if there was any real movement. 306 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:30,000 And the gel is clear so we can see what's going on. 307 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:32,000 Yeah. Okay, that's weird. 308 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:38,000 You know what? Since I've never owned a pair, I don't know what they're supposed to feel like, but these feel pretty good. 309 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:41,000 You know, it just makes me feel more like a woman. 310 00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:44,000 Come on, let's give me the creeps. 311 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:45,000 Come on, give me them. 312 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:46,000 Take those off. 313 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:55,000 You do it for cosmetic purposes. Probably over 100,000 patients a year have breast augmentation. 314 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:56,000 For that group... 315 00:22:56,000 --> 00:23:00,000 Plastic surgeon Dr. Gregory Giorgi knows his implants. 316 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:04,000 He's performed thousands of procedures over 25 years. 317 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:09,000 I have heard the myths. And you'd be not infrequently asked by patients, you know, who had active lifestyles, 318 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:15,000 if they were going to skin dive what would happen in their implants or what would happen in decompression and airplane. 319 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:16,000 That was a common question. 320 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:19,000 Have you ever heard any fantastic stories about this actually occurring? 321 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:22,000 No, I never really have heard any fantastic stories. 322 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:28,000 I had no first-hand experience with a patient that had a quote, blowout at altitude along the way. 323 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:31,000 But lots of people were worried about it, shall we say. 324 00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:41,000 Adam and Jamie are back in familiar territory surrounded by scrap metal and high-tech surplus. 325 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:47,000 I love this place. I spend every Saturday that I get a chance down here. They have coffee and donuts. 326 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:53,000 Cryo containers, beer kegs, what else we got? 327 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:56,000 They're looking for a tank to convert to a chamber. 328 00:23:56,000 --> 00:24:02,000 They want to reproduce the altitude pressures that may cause an implant to expand or explode. 329 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:05,000 Looks like the world's most expensive garbage can. 330 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:06,000 Yeah. 331 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:12,000 Now there's a tank. Unfortunately, it feels like it's maybe 2,000 pounds or so. 332 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:16,000 I see one back here that's starting to look like... 333 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:20,000 Oh my lord! You have to come here and look at this. 334 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:26,000 By the looks of this, this is not ultra-high pressure, but it's pretty good. 335 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:28,000 Look at the thickness on this. 336 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:33,000 I love it when I find this kind of stuff. I mean, this is so cool. This is like sci-fi right here. 337 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:37,000 Probably cost somebody maybe 30 or 50 grand new, I don't know. 338 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:42,000 But it's just a beautiful piece of hardware. I get such a kick out of this stuff. 339 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:44,000 How much does he want for it? 340 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:47,000 It's going to be by the weight of the aluminum, I'm sure. 341 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:48,000 God bless them. 342 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:52,000 I don't care what it was, just tell me how much it weighs. 343 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:08,000 So, I'm going to try and implant these in a fake woman. 344 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:18,000 The first step towards exploding the implant myth is to modify a store dummy. 345 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:28,000 A heat vacuum appliance is used to make a plastic mold of the torso that will hold the implants. 346 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:36,000 Always looking to match reality, Adam will suspend the implants in the ballistics gel. 347 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:46,000 So, if we let this sit for 20 or 30 minutes, the ice against the skin should make that layer of ballistics gel harden, 348 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:53,000 but not the rest. We should end up with a nice, fleshy barrier. About that thick maybe? 349 00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:58,000 The skin layer takes about 10 minutes to form. 350 00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:05,000 It's perfect actually, yeah, I've got a layer of skin here that's actually like 3-sixteenths of an inch thick. It's not bad. 351 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:09,000 Now it's just a matter of putting the implants into place. 352 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:18,000 The silicone is actually a little bit lighter in density than the water, but I push them down in and hopefully suction will keep them at the bottom. 353 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:22,000 They're looking pretty good right now. I'm going to wash my hands and check in in 20 minutes. 354 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:29,000 The important job is to make the chamber as airtight as possible. 355 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:36,000 Some portholes are welded shut while others are replaced. 356 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:41,000 And finally, an air pressure gauge is fitted. 357 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:49,000 Adam's gelatin torso has set. The implants are holding. 358 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:53,000 Look at that, it's a thing of beauty. 359 00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:56,000 My God, I've done it! 360 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:07,000 As a parallel experiment, Jamie places an implant in a jug of water. Any changes should be easy to see. 361 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:13,000 If we find that the implant is actually expanding, the water level will raise and we can measure that. 362 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:18,000 Adam calibrates an easy to read altitude guide for the gauge. 363 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:23,000 The chingar is sealed. 364 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:25,000 Are we ready to go? 365 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:35,000 For the first test, the implants are subjected to typical in-flight cabin pressure, which for passenger comfort is equivalent to around 8,000 feet above sea level. 366 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:36,000 Okay. 367 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:48,000 What I see is the bubbles that were on the surface of the implant have gotten larger and it's maybe raised the water level of minuscule amount as a result of that. 368 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:52,000 But I don't see any expansion of the breast itself. 369 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:57,000 Alright, shall we take it up to, let's say, 30,000 feet? 370 00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:10,000 The big test comes as the chamber matches an altitude of around 30,000 feet, an impossible height for humans unless flying in a pressurized cabin. 371 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:16,000 I mean, it doesn't look like much, but if I were in there with the breast implants, I'd probably be dead about now. 372 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:20,000 Your lungs would fill with fluid, your head would, you know, compress. 373 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:23,000 There's a whole bunch of conditions, none of them are pretty. 374 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:27,000 You probably pass away in about 10 minutes at that height. 375 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:33,000 Despite the negative pressure of high flying, the implants appear unchanged. 376 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:40,000 We've seen the implants at about 8,000 feet, then we bumped it up to around 35,000 feet or so. 377 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:51,000 And in both cases, we've seen expansion of little air bubbles around the things to some degree, but the implants themselves have shown no significant increase in volume. 378 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:59,000 Adam had a theory that injecting the implants with air might force a failure. 379 00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:02,000 I added some air to each of the implants. 380 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:07,000 To the right one, I added three cc's of air, to the left one, I added ten cc's of air. 381 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:09,000 There we go. 382 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:12,000 Yeah, we're at about 35,000 feet now. 383 00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:17,000 I'm not really noticing any significant change in the air pockets. 384 00:29:18,000 --> 00:29:20,000 We definitely know that air can expand really well. 385 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:27,000 We've got a balloon in there and the balloon's been blowing up to twice its volume, but the air inside the implants is not. 386 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:30,000 I didn't really notice any difference at all. 387 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:31,000 Me neither. 388 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:34,000 Yeah, I mean, effectively nothing. 389 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:44,000 Nothing much happening at altitude, so Jamie hooks up a small chamber to emulate the high pressures of deep sea diving. 390 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:47,000 But he didn't figure on explosive results. 391 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:52,000 We had a seal blow. 392 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:54,000 Are you guys alright? 393 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:56,000 It sounded like you shot an elephant. 394 00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:59,000 Yeah, it kind of hurt my ears too. 395 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:04,000 No one heard, but Jamie had a close call. 396 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:08,000 Rapid changes in pressure can cause serious hearing damage. 397 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:17,000 No changes to the implanted high pressure, so it's back to the large chamber for another low pressure altitude test. 398 00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:24,000 Within a few minutes, it's taken the equivalent of a rapid trip from the ocean's floor to the summit of Everest. 399 00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:26,000 So we go up to 30,000 feet. 400 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:35,000 I don't see nothing. 401 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:39,000 I don't see any air bubbles. I don't see any noticeable difference. 402 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:43,000 So this replicated someone diving in water and then immediately getting into a plane? 403 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:44,000 Yes. 404 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:47,000 So effectively no difference. 405 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:55,000 Scientists at Duke University have been studying the rigors of pressure on the human body for many years. 406 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:59,000 This is the main clinical chamber here. Watch your heads again. 407 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:03,000 And the actual chamber is compressed with air. 408 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:12,000 Dr. Richard Van from Duke University's Center for Hyperbaric Medicine knows all about pressure and the concerns of people with implants. 409 00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:20,000 We had several questions that came in with regard to breast implants as to whether there were any hazards with regard to diving. 410 00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:28,000 And as a result, we decided we might do a study and so we approached some of the plastic surgeons who we've been working with. 411 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:34,000 Well, we found that basically in anything that the patient could survive, it wasn't going to be an issue. 412 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:41,000 Plastic surgeon Dr. Gregory Georgeade provided subjects for the implant pressure test at Duke's Hyperbaric Lab. 413 00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:43,000 The results were convincing. 414 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:47,000 Basically what we have here is we have two implants that were initially the same size. 415 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:55,000 And I expanded it by about 50%, which is the maximum volume expansion we could find in the studies we did to show you what the implant would look like. 416 00:31:55,000 --> 00:32:02,000 And you can see it's 50% bigger. The implant could double or triple its total volume before the shell is ever going to break. 417 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:04,000 So it isn't going to be an issue. 418 00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:11,000 And a patient that had this happen would have been dead because of the nitrogen bubbles that ended up in their brain with the bends long before the implant got to this size. 419 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:15,000 So why do you think people were worried about this to begin with? 420 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:21,000 Well, I think they were worried about it because the supermarket tabloids had got their attention. 421 00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:26,000 And that it's another good story along with Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. 422 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:32,000 The myth of the exploding implant appears to be well and truly busted. 423 00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:34,000 I've got to do it really hard, right? 424 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:35,000 No, you can't! 425 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:38,000 Oh, God! 426 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:41,000 But the story has one more chapter. 427 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:44,000 Adam now tries an inflatable brassiere. 428 00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:46,000 Jamie, you want to tie me up? 429 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:59,000 An earlier version of this narrative that took place in the 1950s dealt with a national sales manager for the inflatable bra was on, again, a flight in a depressurized plane. 430 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:02,000 She was wearing her product as any good salesperson would. 431 00:33:02,000 --> 00:33:07,000 And as the plane got higher, her bra got bigger and bigger and bigger. 432 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:10,000 And the other passengers were kind of starting to freak out. 433 00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:16,000 So she had to go spend the rest of the flight in the cabin with the pilots, which you couldn't do these days. 434 00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:22,000 Okay, wow, that sucks. That sound? That's really bad. 435 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:28,000 Adam volunteers to give the inflatable bra a personal test at 8,000 feet. 436 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:32,000 Go for tank depressurization, slowly, and increments. 437 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:38,000 Adam, how are they doing? Are they getting bigger? 438 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:43,000 Roger that, Mr. Control. My breasts are expanding. Repeat, breasts are expanding. 439 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:50,000 They're definitely getting firmer, but nothing exploded, unfortunately. 440 00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:58,000 Well, these don't really change that much. I mean, they've got vinyl enclosures. They're going to be pretty resilient, too. Pressure. 441 00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:02,000 But, you know, they were definitely firmer at 8,000 feet, but not by much. 442 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:04,000 Well, do you want to go all the way? 443 00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:10,000 Hello, camera. 444 00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:14,000 Shall we take it up to 40,000? 445 00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:16,000 Let's do that, but not with me and them. 446 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:17,000 Okay. 447 00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:25,000 Jamie is keen to push the inflatable inserts to the limit. There should be obvious changes at 40,000 feet. 448 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:32,000 Those puppies are looking pretty taut. Looks like they're about twice the volume that they started out with or so. 449 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:37,000 These things are quite resilient. I'm not sure they're going to blow. 450 00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:45,000 Even at an intolerable 40,000 feet, these inflatable inserts are in no danger of exploding. 451 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:46,000 What do you think? 452 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:49,000 We can see them all expanding individually. 453 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:57,000 Always looking for a novel twist. The Mythbusters loaded food items into the tank for some frivolous science. 454 00:34:57,000 --> 00:35:01,000 Hey, the marshmallows are definitely expanding. They're lethal. 455 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:08,000 Oh, hey, we have a rupture in one of our cream-filled cakes. Look at that. 456 00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:10,000 Oh, my Lord. 457 00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:15,000 I'd say the snowballs are much larger now. They're coming off the plate. 458 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:25,000 I think this just goes to show that if you're a paratrooper and you've got one of these cream-filled confections in your pocket or your uniform, you better be careful. 459 00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:33,000 So, Pinemon, exploding implants. What do we get? 460 00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:37,000 No results. No expansion whatsoever on these things. 461 00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:42,000 You're more in danger of your cannoli rupturing than your implants actually exploding. 462 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:43,000 Your cannoli? 463 00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:46,000 Cannoli. It's Italian pastry that's cream-filled. 464 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:47,000 Oh, okay. 465 00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:48,000 Study euphemism. 466 00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:52,000 Okay. So, as far as I'm concerned, Mythbusted. 467 00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:54,000 Oh, definitively busted. Absolutely. 468 00:35:55,000 --> 00:36:06,000 Oh, must test CD-ROM. 469 00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:16,000 Oh, must test CD-ROM. 470 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:28,000 It turns out that with the brand new extremely high-speed drives, they may actually be exceeding the structural capabilities of the CDs themselves and shattering them into tons of pieces, sometimes even leaving the computer. 471 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:29,000 Wow. 472 00:36:29,000 --> 00:36:38,000 Yeah, so we're actually going to try and do this. We're going to try and speed up a bunch of CDs and or a bunch of conditions and get them to explode in all sorts of spectacular ways. 473 00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:39,000 I like that. 474 00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:40,000 Yeah. 475 00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:48,000 Along with the computer drive, they will adapt some high-speed tools to spin the CDs beyond 30,000 RPM. 476 00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:52,000 At that point, they expect to see critical failure. 477 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:54,000 You know, this could be dangerous. 478 00:36:54,000 --> 00:37:02,000 Absolutely. In fact, sharp fragments of polycarbonate are going to be traveling in excess of like 700 miles per hour. 479 00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:06,000 I think to test to see if it can penetrate skin will put our ballistic dummy in there. 480 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:07,000 I think so. 481 00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:11,000 I think he's perfectly suited to sit in front of this computer and be abused. 482 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:26,000 We are driving through Silicon Valley on our way to one of the largest computer recyclers in the Bay Area. 483 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:33,000 And if anyone's going to have a high-speed, like 52-speed CD-ROM drive for us to test, it's going to be them. 484 00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:42,000 If there's something better than a computer store and a shopping cart, I'm not sure what it is. 485 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:47,000 This is Adam's Life 3.0. 486 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:53,000 I need to get a couple of towers to put these in. 487 00:37:53,000 --> 00:38:01,000 What I'm trying to test is the idea that, you know, these ultra-fast drives have actually exceeded the physical limitations of the CDs and shattered them inside the case. 488 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:03,000 Have you guys ever had that happen? 489 00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:09,000 There has been a couple cases. One customer in particular did bring back a CD-ROM drive. 490 00:38:09,000 --> 00:38:12,000 It had some contents rattling inside. 491 00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:20,000 As we opened it up, we discovered that the CD itself shattered completely into many, many pieces. 492 00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:24,000 That's the one I remember notably that sticks out in my mind. 493 00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:27,000 So, yeah, let's get this one. 494 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:28,000 140, 145. 495 00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:29,000 Hey, how about that? 496 00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:30,000 Okay. 497 00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:32,000 Good enough? 498 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:33,000 That's good enough. 499 00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:34,000 Right. 500 00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:37,000 We'll take it back to the lab and destroy it. 501 00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:43,000 CD manufacturers are aware of developments. 502 00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:47,000 David Bunzel from the Optical Storage Association has been tracking the stories. 503 00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:56,000 And it seems that much of it relates back to an article that was generated by a PC journalist based in Sweden. 504 00:38:56,000 --> 00:39:07,000 And he was able to do some testing that he suggested at 30,000 RPM, which would approximate a 52X CD-ROM drive, that they would explode. 505 00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:13,000 Over time, we've talked to various people in the industry, and it seems to be very difficult to replicate. 506 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:27,000 To replicate the CD-shattering experience, Adam exposed some computer disks to the kind of treatment imposed on them by users. 507 00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:36,000 CDs that blew apart in computer drives may have been damaged by sunlight, corrosive spills, or normal wear and tear. 508 00:39:36,000 --> 00:39:41,000 To test this myth realistically, a few CDs had to be sacrificed. 509 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:47,000 Cracked, exposed to sunlight, 24 hours. 510 00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:55,000 Rubbing alcohol, microwave, off-center label, expensive name brand control CD. 511 00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:57,000 See how it does. 512 00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:10,000 I've just installed Windows on this computer so that I can install this drive externally, 513 00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:15,000 and hopefully we'll be able to operate it while being able to view the CD spinning. 514 00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:19,000 And the high-speed camera ought to catch the point of failure if there is one. 515 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:22,000 If there isn't, we're going to make one. 516 00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:27,000 Speed is the key for busting this myth. 517 00:40:27,000 --> 00:40:35,000 Computer drives rated at 52X will be spinning CDs at around 30,000 RPM. 518 00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:42,000 Some disks may disintegrate at this point. Others may require much higher stresses to induce failure. 519 00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:46,000 What do you think about that? 520 00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:55,000 Jamie's quest for more speed involves adapting electrical hand tools and fitting CDs where they weren't meant to go. 521 00:40:55,000 --> 00:40:56,000 Oh no. 522 00:40:56,000 --> 00:40:57,000 Is that sweet or what? 523 00:40:57,000 --> 00:40:59,000 No, it's pretty special. 524 00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:00,000 Worth a trip to the store? 525 00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:01,000 How fast is it? 526 00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:03,000 This is rated for 10,000 RPM. 527 00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:08,000 So I'm going to run the 30,000 RPM router into this and out the other side. 528 00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:14,000 Are you sure that this is a balance enough mechanism to handle six times its current load? 529 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:16,000 It says it's heavy duty. 530 00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:27,000 Adam is cooking up a ballistics dummy to be placed in the shatter zone for a dramatic demonstration of possible injury. 531 00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:33,000 It's made from gelatin, a substance which when set, closely matches human skin and flesh. 532 00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:41,000 I wish I could understand why we can't get this to spin up to its full speed. 533 00:41:41,000 --> 00:41:45,000 We've done everything we can to get it to max out. 534 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:49,000 And it may just be that the computer's not fast enough to read it as fast as 56 speed. 535 00:41:50,000 --> 00:41:56,000 The budget computer failed with the latest 56x drive, achieving only 20,000 RPM. 536 00:41:56,000 --> 00:41:58,000 Nowhere near fast enough. 537 00:41:58,000 --> 00:42:01,000 It should be pushing at least 30,000. 538 00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:03,000 Jamie has another plan. 539 00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:06,000 Frankly, I'm terrified of Jamie's drive. 540 00:42:06,000 --> 00:42:09,000 He's built the equivalent of a 300 speed drive in there. 541 00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:16,000 I don't want to be anywhere near it and I'm really glad we have it contained in the blast chamber because the drive itself may fail catastrophically. 542 00:42:16,000 --> 00:42:19,000 Jamie is adding more power to the equation. 543 00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:24,000 He's adapted a super fast motor and plugged it into a variable speed controller. 544 00:42:24,000 --> 00:42:31,000 This motor is set up to go maybe 90,000 RPM if not for the drag on it. 545 00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:34,000 I'm guessing it might go like 80. 546 00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:37,000 I ought to go faster than it's supposed to though. 547 00:42:38,000 --> 00:42:40,000 Oh, this is cool. 548 00:42:41,000 --> 00:42:42,000 Wow. 549 00:42:43,000 --> 00:42:45,000 Look at me, I'm a god. 550 00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:49,000 Doesn't look much like you, Adam. 551 00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:51,000 Looks exactly like me. Look at that. 552 00:42:52,000 --> 00:42:54,000 You know, I've always wanted a six pack. 553 00:42:57,000 --> 00:42:58,000 Close your eyes. 554 00:42:58,000 --> 00:43:00,000 Okay, there we go. 555 00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:02,000 All right. 556 00:43:02,000 --> 00:43:05,000 Doctor, the patient is ready. 557 00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:10,000 Repping CDs up to demolition speed is the aim. 558 00:43:10,000 --> 00:43:14,000 Jamie's customized drive is about to get its chance. 559 00:43:14,000 --> 00:43:15,000 Contact. 560 00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:17,000 Whoa. 561 00:43:18,000 --> 00:43:19,000 Oh my god. 562 00:43:21,000 --> 00:43:23,000 Faster, faster. 563 00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:24,000 That's all of it? 564 00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:25,000 Yup. 565 00:43:26,000 --> 00:43:28,000 It's all they're reading, 20,000. 566 00:43:31,000 --> 00:43:35,000 That might be as fast as it can spin something like a CD. 567 00:43:35,000 --> 00:43:39,000 The friction with the air makes it have to draw more amps in order to do it. 568 00:43:39,000 --> 00:43:42,000 We do better direct drive right off of the air. 569 00:43:42,000 --> 00:43:44,000 I know it would spin that up. 570 00:43:45,000 --> 00:43:49,000 They're still unable to get to the required 30,000 RPM. 571 00:43:49,000 --> 00:43:52,000 But the workshop has other fast tools. 572 00:43:53,000 --> 00:43:56,000 Blade, 2,000 RPM. 573 00:43:57,000 --> 00:44:00,000 Bench grinder, 3,500 RPM. 574 00:44:02,000 --> 00:44:05,000 Dental drill, 60,000 RPM. 575 00:44:05,000 --> 00:44:08,000 Dental drill, 60,000 RPM. 576 00:44:12,000 --> 00:44:17,000 I don't know how fast it's going, but it's off the set. 577 00:44:23,000 --> 00:44:24,000 I mean, there it is. 578 00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:32,000 None of those tools were suitable, so they purchased a tougher, faster router to direct drive some of the damaged CDs. 579 00:44:32,000 --> 00:44:35,000 We really need to see some explosions now. 580 00:44:36,000 --> 00:44:38,000 We've got the microwave CD. 581 00:44:38,000 --> 00:44:39,000 Okay. 582 00:44:39,000 --> 00:44:41,000 That one's been severely stressed. 583 00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:48,000 Adam is convinced the CD he fried in the microwave will not withstand the forces. 584 00:44:49,000 --> 00:44:51,000 All the way, baby. All the way. 585 00:44:53,000 --> 00:44:54,000 Come on. 586 00:44:55,000 --> 00:44:56,000 Yes. 587 00:44:57,000 --> 00:44:58,000 Goodness, man. 588 00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:01,000 Everything else is coming off of it. 589 00:45:01,000 --> 00:45:04,000 Oh, yes. 590 00:45:08,000 --> 00:45:12,000 It just goes to show that you shouldn't microwave your CD and then put it in your drive. 591 00:45:14,000 --> 00:45:17,000 But what happened to the ballistics dummy? 592 00:45:19,000 --> 00:45:22,000 Oh my God. That's a horror show. 593 00:45:23,000 --> 00:45:28,000 Look at this. It's embedded like two inches into his flesh. That's bad. 594 00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:36,000 To imitate a computer drive, Adam and Jamie set up a high speed run with a CD mounted in its plastic tray. 595 00:45:37,000 --> 00:45:38,000 Ready? Here we go. 596 00:45:42,000 --> 00:45:44,000 That's 25,024. 597 00:45:48,000 --> 00:45:51,000 See, I'd turn my computer off if it was making that noise. 598 00:45:51,000 --> 00:45:53,000 It's making that noise. 599 00:45:56,000 --> 00:45:57,000 Oh. 600 00:45:58,000 --> 00:45:59,000 Well, there you go. 601 00:45:59,000 --> 00:46:01,000 In the tray, we got failure at 25,000 RPM. 602 00:46:02,000 --> 00:46:03,000 In the tray. 603 00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:06,000 Absolutely. And that was a control one. We didn't damage that one at all. 604 00:46:06,000 --> 00:46:08,000 That CD was whole and intact. 605 00:46:08,000 --> 00:46:11,000 And the tray made it fail pretty quickly. 606 00:46:11,000 --> 00:46:14,000 Yeah. You can smell the burning plastic from it. 607 00:46:14,000 --> 00:46:15,000 Yeah, here, look. 608 00:46:15,000 --> 00:46:16,000 Yeah. 609 00:46:16,000 --> 00:46:21,000 Even the computer drive's metal shield is given a solid microwaved CD workout. 610 00:46:29,000 --> 00:46:30,000 That's spectacular. 611 00:46:30,000 --> 00:46:32,000 Look at the damage it did to this case. 612 00:46:33,000 --> 00:46:35,000 I mean, spread the sides out. 613 00:46:35,000 --> 00:46:36,000 Yeah, little depth marks. 614 00:46:36,000 --> 00:46:38,000 Yeah, it dented the steel. 615 00:46:38,000 --> 00:46:39,000 It's like hitting it with a hammer. 616 00:46:39,000 --> 00:46:44,000 If the high speed 52 and 56 times drives are already causing some discs to shatter, 617 00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:46,000 what does the future hold? 618 00:46:47,000 --> 00:46:51,000 So, David, are we going to see 100x drives, 200? 619 00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:52,000 Where's it going to stop? 620 00:46:52,000 --> 00:46:58,000 I wouldn't really expect the optical drives to go much past the 52x range. 621 00:46:58,000 --> 00:47:02,000 I think what you're going to see in terms of increased capacity is going to be done 622 00:47:02,000 --> 00:47:05,000 more with different types of lasers. 623 00:47:05,000 --> 00:47:09,000 Different technology unpacking the bits tighter on the disc. 624 00:47:09,000 --> 00:47:12,000 And their speed is not as critical of an issue. 625 00:47:12,000 --> 00:47:17,000 So you will probably not even need the 52x to be able to accomplish this. 626 00:47:17,000 --> 00:47:19,000 You ready to ramp it up to double speed? 627 00:47:19,000 --> 00:47:20,000 I'm ready. 628 00:47:20,000 --> 00:47:21,000 All right. 629 00:47:21,000 --> 00:47:22,000 Let's go, Spin Man. 630 00:47:22,000 --> 00:47:28,000 So far, most undamaged control CDs have withstood standard spin forces, 631 00:47:28,000 --> 00:47:29,000 only one disintegrated. 632 00:47:29,000 --> 00:47:32,000 Slow speed is the only thing that's going to be able to do that. 633 00:47:32,000 --> 00:47:35,000 Spin forces, only one disintegrated. 634 00:47:35,000 --> 00:47:39,000 Slow motion pictures show them warping, but not shattering. 635 00:47:39,000 --> 00:47:42,000 But Jamie and Adam want mass destruction. 636 00:47:42,000 --> 00:47:46,000 They switch from 110 volts to a potent 220. 637 00:47:46,000 --> 00:47:48,000 It's party time. 638 00:47:48,000 --> 00:47:49,000 You ready, Baldi? 639 00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:50,000 Wait. 640 00:47:51,000 --> 00:47:52,000 Ready? 641 00:47:52,000 --> 00:47:54,000 And unplug it right after you're done. 642 00:47:54,000 --> 00:47:55,000 Yeah. 643 00:47:55,000 --> 00:47:57,000 Three, two, one. 644 00:47:57,000 --> 00:48:02,000 Next one. 645 00:48:02,000 --> 00:48:05,000 Next one. 646 00:48:05,000 --> 00:48:08,000 It's like lightning a match under the thing. 647 00:48:13,000 --> 00:48:14,000 Ah! 648 00:48:17,000 --> 00:48:18,000 Okay, next one. 649 00:48:18,000 --> 00:48:19,000 Next one. 650 00:48:19,000 --> 00:48:20,000 Ah! 651 00:48:20,000 --> 00:48:23,000 Couldn't take it. 652 00:48:23,000 --> 00:48:24,000 Plug it. 653 00:48:24,000 --> 00:48:29,000 I think it actually blew the router, though. 654 00:48:29,000 --> 00:48:30,000 We're done, I guess. 655 00:48:30,000 --> 00:48:32,000 I think we've done a good day's work here. 656 00:48:32,000 --> 00:48:35,000 Any day we create that much shrapnel is a good day. 657 00:48:35,000 --> 00:48:36,000 That's astounding. 658 00:48:36,000 --> 00:48:39,000 I mean, it's like almost like Christmas. 659 00:48:39,000 --> 00:48:44,000 So listen, even if one blew up in your computer, would you be at risk? 660 00:48:44,000 --> 00:48:45,000 No. 661 00:48:45,000 --> 00:48:46,000 Why not? 662 00:48:46,000 --> 00:48:49,000 Well, maybe if you open the thing up and put your eye right in there. 663 00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:51,000 See, that's just the sort of thing I might do. 664 00:48:51,000 --> 00:48:54,000 Well, there are easier ways to poke your eye out, I suppose. 665 00:48:54,000 --> 00:48:58,000 Now, are you worried about CDs exploding in your computers? 666 00:48:58,000 --> 00:48:59,000 No. 667 00:48:59,000 --> 00:49:05,000 I have three computers that sit around me, and I don't sit there with any concern that 668 00:49:05,000 --> 00:49:07,000 I'm going to have fragments flying at me. 669 00:49:07,000 --> 00:49:12,000 Given the millions of years that you've been living in, what's the biggest risk you've 670 00:49:12,000 --> 00:49:13,000 had at me? 671 00:49:13,000 --> 00:49:18,000 Given the millions and millions of CDs that are out there being burned all the time, and 672 00:49:18,000 --> 00:49:23,000 maybe dozen cases that we've heard of this happening, it's pretty much almost a non-event. 673 00:49:23,000 --> 00:49:24,000 I agree. 674 00:49:24,000 --> 00:49:27,000 It's not something the average buyer has to worry about. 675 00:49:27,000 --> 00:49:29,000 Highly, highly unlikely. 676 00:49:42,000 --> 00:49:49,000 Thank you.