The human body simply isn't built to
conduct 300kV of electricity. So when things
backfire while you're fishing in a
thunderstorm, and you find yourself doing
an impromptu rendition of Powder, here's
what you can expect.
While there is still debate within the
scientific community as to the exact nature
of the process, most believe that cloud-to-
ground lightning originates when conditions
within a thunder head strip electrons from
rising water vapor to create an electrical
field. Free electrons gather at the bottom of
the cloud while positive ions move to the
top.
This electrical field is so intense that the
negative electrons in the cloud repel
electrons on the ground. These ground-level
other electrons get pushed far enough into
the strata that the surface of the planet
becomes positively charged. Once that
occurs, air molecules around the cloud
ionize, discharging the electrical field via a
short-circuit back to Earth, neutralizing the
charge difference. That's lightning—and you
don't want to be anywhere near it when it
strikes.
Humans are good conductors. Being
comprised of atoms that can transmit
electrons is great for our neural network's
basic functionality. But it's very bad when
we drop a hairdryer in the tub, crack open
an industrial capacitor, or become a human
lightning rod on the links.
Lightning strikes do, however, differ from
the industrial shocks you'd receive from
high-voltage equipment. First, the level of
voltage is greater in lightning—most
industrial shocks generate 20-60kV, but a
bolt of lightning generates 300kV. Second,
the duration of a lightning strike is much
shorter. Man-made shocks last about a half
second (500 miliseconds), on average, until
the worker is either blown clear or the
circuit breaker trips. A lightning strike
courses through you in in just 3 milliseconds.
Finally, most industrial electrical injuries hit
the worker's hands, arms, and shoulders
while natural lightning most often strikes
the head, shoulders, and upper torso.
When a bolt of lightning does strike a
human frame, very bad things happen. In
addition to the 300kV of energy coursing
through you, the power of the strike heats
the surrounding air to 50,000 degrees F,
causing third degree burns at the bolt's
entry and exit points. It can also create
lightning bolt-shaped burn marks, called
Lichtenberg figures, which are caused by
bursting blood vessels. The heat and force
can singe and shred clothing. Lightning
strikes have blown people clear out of their
shoes.
The damage can be even worse if you are
holding a metal object. For one thing, doing
so increases the likelihood of being struck in
the first place. A big reason Florida leads
the nation in annual lightning-related deaths
and injuries (126 deaths in the last decade
alone) isn't from regional topography but
due to the state's vibrant golf industry.
Legions of players frantically break out the
nine irons to finish the round ahead of an
oncoming storm. Second, wearing metal
objects while—chains, necklaces,
braces...piercings—can cause electrical
arcing and rapidly heat, causing serious
burns of their own.
Burns aren't the only way lightning will hurt
you. A lightning strike can act as a massive
fibrillator, upsetting the heart's electrical
rhythm and causing cardiac arrest. That's in
addition to bursting blood vessels and
damaging the cardiac muscles. Fortunately,
only one in ten Americans have died from
being struck by lightning in the three
decades between 1981 and 2010. That period
saw 54 fatalities a year on average, though
between 2001 and 2010, that number
dropped to 39 annually. Ninety percent of
lightning strike victims do survive, but at a
significant cost.
"Lightning injuries are varied and take many
different forms," wrote Dr. Elisabeth
Gourbière of the Electricité de France,
Service des Etudes Médicales in Lightning
Injuries to Humans in France . "The most
dangerous (and possibly fatal) immediate
complications are cardiovascular and
neurologic. It must be kept in mind that
only immediate and effective
cardiorespiratory resuscitation (started by
rescuers), followed as soon as possible by
emergency medical treatment, can save
victims who are in cardiopulmonary arrest,
or avert the serious consequences of
cerebral hypoxia. Some victims remain in a
coma despite intensive resuscitation and die
of secondary causes including hemorrhages
and multiple lesions (encephalic, cardiac,
pulmonary, intra-abdominal)."
Immediate post-strike symptoms can include
caridac arrhythmia, myocardial damage, and
pulmonary edema in the circulatory system.
Neurologically, you will likely lose
consciousness for anywhere from a few
minutes to a few years. You could suffer
brain damage (because in the cellular
structure of your brain literally cooks from
the current) resulting in short-term memory
loss or amnesia. Longer term neurological
maladies include personality changes,
learning disabilities, sleep disorders,
seizures, Parkansonism (not actual
Parkinson's Disease but a similar constant
twitch). Last, victims commonly report
numbness and weakness in the limbs,
temporary or permanent paralysis,
concussions, blown ear drums, cataracts, and
a whole lot of pain.