In fact, the standard advises people use mobile phones instead of conventional copper wire telephones during storms because conventional phones pose a well- documented risk. The standard (AS/NZS 1768-2003) does not make any such recommendation. The myth that mobiles posed a lightning risk was perpetuated by a claim that the Australian Lightning Protection Standard recommended mobile phones should not be used during storms when a 2006 report in the British Medical Journal incorrectly claimed the standard advises people not to use mobile phones during storms. Although many reports of lightning injuries involve people who are using cell phones, these reports represent the ubiquity of cell phone usage and of their users’ inattentiveness to weather conditions and have nothing to do with the phones themselves.”ĭr Cooper clarifies that electrical lighting damage only occurs with the use of landline phones and not mobile phones. “No lightning danger is inherent to cellular phones. The types of injury observed are also well known and Dr Cooper also points out that:
“The medical literature and medical practice are resplendent with examples of (lightning) myth that grow out of misread, misquoted, or misinterpreted information and that then continue to be propagated without further investigation.” The medical profession is well aware of the misinformation on this topic as pointed out by Dr Mary Ann Cooper- Associate Professor, Departments of Emergency Medicine and Bioengineering, University of Illinois in Chicago, in her paper on lightning injury facts: The concern that mobile phones attract lightning was first raised a number of years ago in an internet hoax and is now a recognised urban myth. The wrong time is anytime a thunderstorm is nearby.” “People are struck because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lightning tends to strike taller objects,” said John Jensenius, a NOAA National Weather Service lightning expert. “Cell phones, small metal items, jewellery, etc., do not attract lightning. Lightning wants to get to the ground and a tree can often be the quickest way for it to get there if you are standing near it, the electricity will get you too,” states Mr Kirkby.įollowing worldwide media interest in 2006 (BBC News and British Medical Journal ), the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a statement, saying lightning is not attracted to people carrying mobile phones. The last place you want to stand is under a tree. “At the first signs of visual lightning or audible thunder, you really need to get yourself and your kids indoors. And if you are outside, try to move away from areas of high exposure, such as under a tree.
These factors are more important to safety in an electrical storm than the use of a mobile phone.Īdvice provided to the ABC from Grant Kirkby, an Australian specialist on lightning mitigation risks is that staying indoors during a storm is the best way to protect yourself from a lightning strike. Mobile phones are low power devices and do not have any characteristics which would make them attractive to lightning strikes.Īlthough some people speculate mobile phones pose a risk when used outdoors because lightning is attracted to metal, the amount of metal contained in a mobile phone is not enough to increase your risk of being struck by lightning.Īccording to safety experts, somebody who is outside increases their risk of being struck if they are on high ground, in an open space, near water or near large metallic structures or trees. While it is sensible to avoid using a fixed- line (copper wire) phone during a thunderstorm the same precaution does not apply to mobile phones or fibre optic cable (Note – while many NBN connections are fibre optic you should check with your service provider to confirm). We are all aware of the risks of lightning strikes during thunderstorms but sometimes these risks are misunderstood.
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