Newswise — Current information indicates that it wasn’t the gas but a coating on the dirigible’s skin that was primarily responsible for the catastrophe. Hydrogen safety experts say the misconceptions regarding the Hindenburg have colored perceptions about the use of hydrogen as a vehicle fuel but hydrogen, like gasoline, can be handled and used safely with the appropriate practices and engineering measures in place.
Nick Barilo leads the Hydrogen Tools safety portal which is operated by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory with funding from the Department of Energy. Barilo joined the Hydrogen Safety Panel in 2007 and has served as program manager for hydrogen safety supporting the DOE’s Fuel Cell Technologies Program since 2012. Nick Barilo is a licensed fire protection engineer with over 30 years of experience.
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Barilo says: "The future will likely see hydrogen’s use as an energy source impact many areas of our lives, including the vehicles we drive, how consumer goods are warehoused and brought to market, and how critical emergency and communications systems are maintained through power outages. Though its use as a consumer fuel is relatively new, hydrogen has long been an ingredient in many industrial processes, and can be handled and used safely with the appropriate practices and engineering measures in place."