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To: wpckr who wrote (3065)	9/5/1998 2:42:00 PM
From: Urlman	Respond to of 5827

Glad it was brought up agian because that is a popular misconception. there is no "hindenburg" problem here.....Actually NASA has determined that the fabric skin of the Hindenburg was to blame and not the hydrogen. Hydrogen is no more dangerous than gasoline..... However since flames go straight up if there is a fire....some suggest adding an odor to Hydrogen fuel so it can e more easily detected..... There was a great story about this in October 1997 Wired Magazine Caled "The dawn Of The Hydrogen Age" Cheers, Urlman

To: wpckr who wrote (3065)	9/5/1998 2:45:00 PM
From: Urlman	Respond to of 5827

>>>The Burning Issue Hydrogen advocates call it the Hindenburg syndrome - the presumption fostered by the 1937 Hindenburg crash in Lakehurst, New Jersey, that the hydrogen airships somehow ignited, causing the tragedy, and that it is therefore too volatile to be used as automotive fuel. To these proponents, both strands of the supposition are false. Addison Bain, the retired head of NASA's hydrogen program, has amassed evidence strongly suggesting that the Hindenburg's fabric skin, not the hydrogen inside it, ignited as a result of a static electrical discharge. Additionally, the advocates say, hydrogen is no more dangerous than gasoline. While gasoline fires spread along the ground, hydrogen flames go straight up; anything below a hydrogen flame consequently doesn't catch fire. An outdoor hydrogen fire may be less risky than a comparable gasoline fire, while a hydrogen fire in an enclosed space may be more dangerous. The emergence of hydrogen-fueled cars is therefore likely to be accompanied by alterations in garages and mechanics' shops to provide more ventilation. Hydrogen also burns more efficiently and at a cooler temperature than gasoline; someone standing next to a hydrogen flame may not even feel it. But such flames are hard to detect, so that a person might unwittingly walk into one. A possible solution is to add odor or color to hydrogen, but the trick will be to find substances that add smell or hue without interfering with the operation of fuel cell engines, which are notoriously intolerant of impurities. "We have assimilated the dangers of gasoline into our day-to-day lives because the benefits outweigh the risks," says Peter Lehman, director of the Schatz Energy Research Center at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. "And we will do the same with hydrogen." <<< Here is the link to the article "Dawn Of The Hydrogen Age" wired.com