Re: [Phys-l] cell phone lightning hazard?

["John Clement" <clement@hal-pc.org>]

I think the telling quote from the blog is:
"Firstly the statistics - 3 mentions of people using a cellphone whilst
being hit by a lightning strike is by no means compelling evidence for a
correlation. I would wager more people have been struck by lightning whilst
picking their nose than whilst on a cellphone, it doesnt mean there's a link
between the two."

Here is the article from ZDNET which confirms the number 3 and also include
faulty physics and logic:
" People should not use mobile phones outdoors during thunderstorms because
of the risk if they are struck by lightning, according to a group of
doctors. 

Doctors at the Northwick Park Hospital in England wrote in a letter in
Friday's British Medical Journal about the case of a 15-year-old girl who
was using her phone in a park when she was hit during a storm. 

Although she was revived, a year later she was still suffering "complex
physical, cognitive, and emotional problems." She was also still using a
wheelchair and had "persistent perforation of the left tympanic membrane
with associated conductive hearing loss on the side she was holding the
mobile phone." 

"This rare phenomenon is a public health issue, and education is necessary
to highlight the risk of using mobile phones outdoors during stormy weather
to prevent future fatal consequences from lighting strike injuries," wrote
Swinda Esprit, a doctor at the hospital. 

Esprit and other doctors at the hospital said in their letter that 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. 

The doctors added that three fatal cases of lightning striking people while
using mobile phones have been reported in newspapers in China, South Korea
and Malaysia. 

"The Australian Lightning Protection Standard recommends that metallic
objects, including cordless or mobile phones, should not be used (or
carried) outdoors during a thunderstorm," Esprit noted."

If this is accurate then there is really no statistical evidence, just
speculation.  There certainly is statistical evidence for much more
dangerous activities.  There was a specific hole on the Duke golf course in
Durham where people tend to be struck by lightning.  When I lived there,
there was at least one report a year about this happening.  High points with
upraised golf clubs could make a golf addiction hazardous to your health.

Could the phone have had some metal protrusions which caused the lightning
to take a different path?  And what are real statistics on the problems seen
by the doctors?  Apparently there is a folk belief that metal such as rings
or watches will conduct lightning into your body and cause more damage.  Is
there any basis for this?  MDs often do not think like scientists, so the
story has been blown way out of proportion.  One factor that sounds like a
possibility could be sweat trapped by the phone might have provided a
conductive path.  Similarly, moisture trapped by rings or other objects
might increase the conductivity at that point in the skin.

There are certainly times when I wished a cell phone user would be struck by
lightning!!!!!

John M. Clement
Houston, TX

> The original article is online at the British Medical Journal.  And it is
> actually just a lettor to the editor, not a true article.  The journal's
> home page is at  http://www.bmjjournals.com/?ck=nck  and a little
> searching will get you to the proper article, except you need a
> subscription to read the full letter.
>
> On the other hand, there are responses to the letter which are freely
> available at.
> http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/332/7556/1513-b#136580
>
> Some comments present other anecdotal evidence, others question the
> effects of other items like iPods or jewelery.  The best response (IMHO)
> is the last one, which includes the line:
> "I would wager more people have been struck by lightning whilst picking
> their nose than whilst on a cellphone, it doesnt mean there's a link
> between the two."
> and the disclaimer:
> "Competing interests: Actually knowing something about physics,
> cellphones, and lightning"  :-)
>
>
> Tim Folkerts