Lightning strikes pose a risk to those using mobile phones outdoors during storms, British doctors warn.
Dr. Swinda Esprit and two other senior physicians in London reported a case of a 15-year-old girl who was struck by lightning while using her handheld device in a large city park during a thunderstorm.
The girl experienced a brief cardiac arrest but recovered shortly thereafter. The victim has no recollection of the incident, despite many witnesses seeing the lightning strike.
However, one year later, the patient was left wheelchair-bound due to cognitive, physical, and emotional issues, as well as constant ringing in her left ear, the side she was using the mobile phone.
The doctors, working at Northwick Park Hospital in northwest London, noted that they found three reports of fatalities caused by lightning strikes while using mobile phones outdoors. These incidents occurred in China in 2005, South Korea in 2004, and Malaysia in 1999.
Nonetheless, no similar cases have been documented in medical records.
“This rare phenomenon is a public health issue, and educating people about its high risks is essential,” Esprit stated.
Since lightning always seeks the easiest path to the ground, someone standing and using a mobile phone (possibly wet at the time) seems to create a path of least resistance.
So far, either countries lack regulations or have unclear standards regarding this issue. Australia’s lightning protection standards recommend that individuals outdoors during a thunderstorm should not use wireless phones, mobile phones, or even carry them.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service in the United States claims on their website that both options are safe because “there is no direct connection between you and the lightning.”
T. An
