Advocates of hydrogen as a safe, non-polluting, cost-effective alternative to fossil fuels are frequently confronted by critics who have concerns about the safety of the widespread use of hydrogen.  As recently as August, 2001, information about a new airship built in Germany described the lifting element as helium, unlike "dangerous hydrogen" that had been used to lift dirigibles in the past. 

    There's no arguing the fact that all fuels are dangerous; gasoline, natural gas, and oil, as well as hydrogen, are all flammable.  All must be handled and stored with care and attention to their combustibility.  Hydrogen has been blamed for the disastrous fire that engulfed the Hindenberg in 1937, killing 35 people and ending the era of the the dirigible until 2001. But the fact is that the Hindenberg would have burned even if the inert gas helium, rather than hydrogen, had been used as the lifting element.

    The 813-foot long, 236 ton airship that burst into flames as it attempted to dock in Lakehurst, New Jersey on a 150-ft. tower, was ignited by an electrical discharge from a storm when landing lines grounded the craft and in effect, turned it into a lightning rod.  The skin of the airship, made from a material containing a flammable aluminum powder, ignited.  The fire then spread to the diesel fuel and the 16 enormous bags filled with 7,200,00 cubic feet of hydrogen.

    Because hydrogen is 15 times lighter than air, once on fire, the hydrogen moved immediately up and away from the ship and within 60 seconds had burned completely.  The ship burned for 10 hours on the ground, fueled by diesel oil and other heavier than air components.

    Only two people burned to death as a result of the fire.  The 33 other fatalities were caused by passengers jumping or falling from the craft.

    The Hindenberg disaster received extensive media coverage by crews who were there to witness the landing of the world's largest airship after a voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.  Even though airships had been operated successfully and safely
for a number of years before 1937, they were abandoned as a means of travel after the Hindenberg tragedy.

    The myth that hydrogen is too dangerous for widespread use is one that is difficult to refute yet the facts indicate that with proper care and handling hydrogen can be less dangerous than oil, natural gas, or gasoline.  But myths die hard and the public will not be easily convinced.