June 23, 2006
Mobile phone users warned of lightning strike risk
People should not use mobile phones outdoors during thunderstorms because of the risk of being struck by lightning, doctors said on Friday, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
"They reported 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, she suffered persistent health problems and was using a wheelchair a year after the accident.
"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," said Swinda Esprit, a doctor at Northwick Park Hospital in England.
... 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 added."
Previous incidents reported in textually:
-- Cell phone could have led to death of tourist on Great Wall /August 2005) - A mobile phone could have led to the death of a 25-year-old Greek tourist who was struck by a bolt of lightening on the Great Wall near Beijing.
-- Man Talking on Cell Phone Dies From Lightning (August 2004) - man talking on a mobile phone died after being struck by lighting in Changhung, South Cholla Province, on Monday. Such a death is the first of its kind in South Korea.
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