Mobile Phones and Lightning a Lethal Mix

An anonymous reader writes "In a letter to the British Medical Journal, doctors wrote that people should not use mobile phones outdoors during thunderstorms because of the risk of being struck by lightning. Usually 'when someone is struck by lightning, the high resistance of the skin conducts the flash over the body in what is known as a flashover, but if a metal object, such as a phone, is in contact with the skin it disrupts the flashover and increases the odds of internal injuries and death.'"

Comments

Re:Talking in the rain

[gbobeck]

And this information is useful because we are always using our mobile phones out in thunderstorms.

Hey, look at how many golfers and fishermen get struck by lightning every year even though they should know better.

A few lightning facts that need to be stated:

1. Lightning strikes can occur on any day, even in the absence of clouds.
2. Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm.
3. If you can hear thunder, you are in range to be struck by lightning.
4. Contrary to popular notion, there is no 'safe' location outdoors to take shelter from lightning, although your car will offer some protection (read: its a crude faraday cage) provided that you do not come in contact with any metal object.
5. If you are on your cell phone talking to your friends and lightning strikes in the general area, causing you to scream like a little girl and soil yourself, and your friends hear it, they will not let you live that down for quite awhile. Doubly so if it is captured on video.