In the context of spatial planning the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment asked the Centre for External Safety of the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) to advice on safe distances pertaining to hydrogen filling stations. The RIVM made use of failure modeling and parameters for calculating the distance in detail. An imaginary hydrogen filling station for cars is used in the determination of 'external safety' or third party distances for the installations and the pipe work for three different sizes of hydrogen filling stations. For several failure scenarios 'effect' distances are calculated for car filling at 350 and 700 bar. Safe distances of filling stations from locations where people live and work appear to be similar for compressed hydrogen, gasoline/petrol and compressed natural gas. Safe distances for LPG are greater. A filling unit for hydrogen can be placed at gasoline/petrol-filling stations without increasing safety distances. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.