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Mobile Phones and Lightning a Lethal Mix

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the shocking-outcomes dept.

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.'"

11 of 374 comments (clear)

  1. Talking in the rain by nightsnack · · Score: 5, Insightful

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

    1. Re:Talking in the rain by gbobeck · · Score: 5, Interesting
      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.
      --
      Navicula hydraulica plena anguilarum est. Omnes castelli tuus nostri sunt. Ed elli avea del cul fatto trombetta.
  2. So you're telling me... by cwalk · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...I no longer need a nuclear reaction to generate the 1.21 gigawatts of electrical power I need?

    1. Re:So you're telling me... by troc · · Score: 5, Funny

      But you still need a DeLorean.

      --
      Troc's dubious podcast and blog: http://www.trocnet.net
  3. Guess everone better take off their Levis then. by ABeowulfCluster · · Score: 5, Funny

    Damn rivets! Catching my doo hoo willy on fire!

  4. Re:Metal objects ? by Aglassis · · Score: 5, Informative
    Odd, my cellphone practically has no metal surfaces ...

    Guess what, neither does air, and that doesn't stop lightning!

    Your cellphone does have many internal parts that are metal (including conductive surfaces right next to your mouth and ear). If lightning can find a less resistive path to ground it will take it. Metal objects mean that lightning has to ionize a few cm less air (and if the storm is lucky, the human body will reduce the rest of the distance to ground).
    --
    Suddenly, the hairy finger of a familiar monkey tapped me on the shoulder. It was time.--G. T.
  5. Another disgusting pseudo-science article by Futurepower(R) · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is another of those disgusting Slashdot pseudo-science articles. Slashdot editors apparently spent their entire childhoods playing video games, and didn't learn anything about the real world.

    Edited paragraph, without the nonsense: "The Australian Lightning Protection Standard recommends that metallic objects... should not be used (or carried) outdoors during a thunderstorm..."

    The warning about metal and lightning has nothing particularly to do with cell phones. A tiny cell phone is not the biggest hazard. Don't use metal umbrellas during lightning storms.

    Don't fly kites with metal string. (Or any kite. Lightning travels on non-metallic paths sometimes.)

  6. In other news ... by xav_jones · · Score: 5, Funny

    Don't hold up umbrellas, large metal spikes or TV antennae. Jury is still out on iPods and tin foil hats maybe OK.

  7. In other news .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Doctors find that prolonged submersion under oceans can cause suffocation, and that walking into an active volcano can result in extensive burn damage.

    It is suspected that some natural forces can be injurious to human health. MORE FUNDING is needed to study these phenomena.

    Seriously, every slash-dotter must be aware that conductive objects on or near the body - jewelery is the obvious and most likely candidate - will act as a focus for energy transmission during a lightning strike. Belt buckles and shoe nails used to be the problem in earlier times.

    This can turn a survivable accident into a fatal accident. But should we all buy plastic-mounted diamond studs? Do we want to live forever? Or do we want to welcome our new insulated overlords.....?

  8. Re:What about piercings by William+Robinson · · Score: 5, Funny
    Yeah....

    And what about my tin foil hat...

    --
    hilarious
  9. Old golfers' trick... by jpellino · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... that if you're in an area prone to lightning, you should make sure you have a 1-iron in your bag.
    When it gets dicey hold it up in the air - because as every golfer knows, even God can't hit a 1-iron.

    --
    "Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."