According to a new report, using a mobile phone while you are out in a storm could increase your chances of being hit by lightning. A report in the British Medical Journal suggests that as lightning chooses the easiest route the ground, your standing out in the open using your wet telephone could easily be the path of least resistance for the lightning bolt.
Link To Report in the British Medical Journal
The report, written by Dr. Swinda Esprit, mentions a girl who was struck by lightning while talking on the phone in a large London park during a storm last year. She suffered a heart attack, but was fortunately revived. She remembers nothing of the event. We know what happened thanks to some witnesses.
The 15-year-old girl later became wheelchair-bound. She has cognitive, emotional and physical problems. She also had a badly perforated eardrum in her left ear. She had been holding the phone to her left ear. There were other similar cases in Malaysia 1999, S Korea 2004 and China 2005. In all these three cases, the people died. The authors say there are no reports in medical journals.
Dr. Esprit said “This rare phenomenon is a public health issue, and education is necessary to highlight the risk.?
The report adds that iPods could pose the same risk. It suggests that as iPods and mobile phones have metallic components, the effects of electrocution will probably be more severe. When most people are struck by lightning it is conducted over the skin rather than through the body – this is because of the high resistance of human skin. However, if metal is in direct contact with the skin – as is the case with a mobile phone or iPod, the electricity is more likely to go through the body, causing severe internal injuries.
As the Australian Lightning Protection Standard advises people not to carry mobile phones outdoors during a storm, the writers of the report say British authorities should say the same.
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today