The BMJ has this unfortunate case:
According to the BBC, the British Medical Journal cites the case of a 15-year-old girl who was struck by lightning in a London park while talking on her phone. She suffered a burst eardrum and cardiac arrest and, a year later, “has severe physical difficulties as well as brain damage which has led to emotional and cognitive problems”.
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Not scientific. Cellphones do not attract lightning.
From eMedicine:
“The following positions pose the highest risk of injury: (1) standing close to any high object (flagpole, tree, antenna) or being the highest object in the area, (2) being close to water (swimming pool, beach, boat, dock), and (3) being connected to or close to plumbing or wires inside a building.
Risk factors include being out in bad weather without knowing the forecast, not paying attention to the weather, or not having or following an evacuation plan.
Certain geographic areas are more prone to lightning, such as mountain ridges (between 3 pm and 5 pm), parts of Florida and the Gulf Coast, the Eastern Seaboard, and the major river valley areas of the Midwest.
…The ear is the sense organ most commonly injured by lightning. Tympanic membrane rupture is common and may occur from concussive or explosive force, direct current entry (often associated with burns to the canal or disruption of the ossicles), or from basilar skull fracture.”
The patient mentioned in the article would have sustained the same injury even without her cellphone and using a cell phone does not increase the likelihood of being struck by lightning. Using a cellphone does not worsen the injury. Even in the absence of cellphones, ear injuries are common. Using telephones with landlines is a risk because the cables can be a conduit for lightning.
In conclusion, cell phones pose no additional risk to lightning strike or injury. -amd
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