Lightning strikes twice for unsuspecting iPod users

In a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine, doctors from Vancouver General Hospital detail the case of a 37-year-old jogger who was admitted for treatment of lightning-related burns on his neck, face, and chest -- and they say that the iPod the man was wearing conducted the current through his body. According to the letter, the man's eardrums were ruptured, his jawbone broken in four places, and both of his jaw joints were dislocated when lighting struck a tree near the runner during a storm. The doctors say that while the use of an iPod won't increase your chances of being stuck by lightning, the metal in the device's earbuds can direct current "to and through" ones head. This is strikingly similar to this case that we saw in July of last year, though it can be assumed that any earphone-equipped music device could have this rare effect, so don't go dumping your Apple stock just yet.

[Thanks, psxp]

[Brian @ Jul 12th 2007 11:39AM]

This is CLEARLY an Apple defect. Anyone can see that.

[fd @ Jul 12th 2007 11:40AM]

Jogging in a thunderstorm, wearing headphones, using a media player. Brilliant!

[Will @ Jul 12th 2007 12:23PM]

In his defense, lightning is very rare in Vancouver. I have lived here for 8 years and could count on one hand how many times I've seen a thunderstorm here. I am not sure I would have been worried about it either.

[Phil @ Jul 12th 2007 3:59PM]

Also in his defense. I've lived in the South West tip of BC, including all parts of Vancouver, my whole life. And I can count on both hands the times I've seen lightning storms in the last 25+ years. And on top of it, 9 times out of the 10, it is bright and sunny and hot, then in less than 10 minutes it gets super cold and the clouds roll in. And half the time, lightning precedes any rain. So if you are out jogging and its hot out and cools down fast right where you are, the first sign of any trouble could be a lightning strike right where you are. I've been outside a few times when its warm, and the next thing you know there is a bright flash and an instant thunderclap. It was like that here just a few weeks ago, with hail, its been years since I've seen hail.

[alf @ Jul 12th 2007 11:41AM]

It's not like doctors are the first to figure this out. The last thing you want to have happen with current is for it to travel through/across your body. Earphones provide a mechanism for it to travel through your head.

A good electrician can work with one hand behind his back for this very reason. If you get shocked, the bulk of the current travels through one hand rather than across the body through the heart.

But in the end, this is not the fault of the earphones. It's the fault of the earphone wearer who goes jogging in a thunderstorm.

[Wubba @ Jul 12th 2007 12:58PM]

Actually a good electrician will cut the power off at the breaker and not worry about getting zapped.

[bigpat @ Jul 12th 2007 2:41PM]

I was told this story by an electrician once, not sure if it was a tall tale or not, but the trick would be to stand on one leg also and get zapped through the hand on that side of the body... therefore the bulk of the current would flow down one side of your body rather than across your heart. Probably your attention is better spent avoiding the shock in the first place rather than hopping around.

[Ben Swain @ Jul 12th 2007 11:43AM]

Static electricity while wearing earphones is fun too :)

[Tyk @ Jul 12th 2007 11:44AM]

Wow.. brutal injury.

Im a runner myself, and know better to avoid running in thunderstorms. Sometimes i get caught out in it, but, i try to wait it out under an overpass or something. And, why was he using his earphones in a thunderstorm? Not cool at all.

[Jason @ Jul 12th 2007 12:49PM]

@ Tyk,

Agreed. I'm a runner, and I've been stuck in thunderstorms too. If you're out on a long run, weather conditions can change over the course of an hour or two. So while it might be nice when you start, conditions can rapidly deteriorate and make things crappy.

[BestSnowman @ Jul 12th 2007 11:50AM]

Why would you be running outside in the middle of a lightning storm?

[Joe Smith @ Jul 12th 2007 12:09PM]

yeah, and with an iPod!

[Constable Odo @ Jul 12th 2007 4:04PM]

Why run in a thunderstorm? Because it's thoroughly invigorating. The wind and rain in your face can't be beat. The fear of a possible lightning strike only helps to quicken your pace. That's why. Couch potatoes never quite understand.

[Argot @ Jul 12th 2007 11:53AM]

Even GOD hates Apple!

[PDubNYC @ Jul 12th 2007 2:00PM]

yeah, but he also told me that he thinks you're a putz, and that you really need to let go of some of your anti-Apple venom. Maybe your mom could bring you to the mall for a happy diversion.

[mesaboogie @ Jul 12th 2007 4:28PM]

Oh please, PDubNYC, chill. I wonder what your reaction would be if it was concerning a Zune...

I thought it was funny and no, I'm not a fanboy of neither sides. I own an Archos :)

[Big @ Jul 12th 2007 11:55AM]

PERHAPS THAT HUGE METAL BACK PLATE ON THE BACK OF THE IPOD HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT.


I'm not trying to BS anyone here but I am a NYC Public School Physics/Geology/Living Environment teacher.

One thing you need to realize about lightining is it is simply an ionic discharge that can occur from the GROUND to the SKY just as much as you see it occur from the SKY to the GROUND.

The Ipod unlike most other MP3 players is made with a large metal plate and worst of all, a plasticine face. HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS when you rub a rubber baloon with a plastic comb?

STATIC ELECTRICITY FORMS.

LIGHTING is STATIC ELECTRICITY.

Having any device of this type WILL increase your chances of being struck by lighting. That's elementary. But what kills me is that for fashion, the developers of ipod made them mostly of METAL.

[shamrock593 @ Jul 12th 2007 12:12PM]

Thanks for the science lesson! I think everyones already figured that one out...

[eqsf @ Jul 12th 2007 12:21PM]

the ipod device itself being made of metal has nothing to do with it. i have a physics degree.

i'll be sure not to raise my kids in an NYC public school.

[Karl @ Jul 12th 2007 12:53PM]

Among the many other idiotic comments in this post is the statement that the face of the iPod is plasticine. Plasticine is modeling clay, doofus. Nice attempt to sounds smarter than you are by using a word you don't understand.

I weep for NYC students with teachers like you...

[KenHooray @ Jul 12th 2007 1:01PM]

Most umbrellas also have a high composition of metal in them, and those are meant to be used in a storm. I feel sorry for your students.

[Jake @ Jul 12th 2007 1:24PM]

the only metal that would matter would be if the man was totally covered in metal. Keys in your pocket will not attract lightning. Standing up in the middle of a field WILL. In this case the only thing dangerous abut the _any_ pmp not only the iPod is that you have headphones _in_ your ears that could lead some current or heat up in case you do get stuck and not get carbonized instantly.
The "huge metal plate" doesn't do shit, if anything it would just keep the li-* battery a little bit safer so that it doesn't explode after you've already been hit.

[JonBruse @ Jul 16th 2007 12:49PM]

There's also the fact that, chances are, he would have been hit regardless of whether or not he had the iPod on his person. The issue is that the headphone cable provided a direct path to his head, which may have exacberated/altered his injury.

The fact that this is directed at iPods is ridiculous. He was wearing an ipod because they're so damn popular. The same thing could happen to anything that a pair of headphones plugs into (yes, i'm including tape players and dictaphones in that category; hell, if you're listening to music on your computer and it gets zapped, it can travel through the headphone cable into your brain)

[dv @ Jul 12th 2007 1:43PM]

actually ...

1. small metal objects carried in your person don't increase your chances of getting struck by lightning. over a distance of 6 kilometers, it doesn't make much difference if your 1.5-meter body has a piece of 10-cm metal in it. that doesn't change your conductivity much at all.

2. holding a metal umbrella over your head would actually increase your chances of getting struck, but not by all that much.

the biggest factor that affects the chances here is how much air the lightning has to travel through, which is, by a huge margin, the poorest conductor in the path. if you significantly reduce the amount of air the lightning has to travel through, you're likely to get hit. hence the advice of staying low if you're stuck.

[Alex @ Jul 12th 2007 2:05PM]

The show Mythbusters tested a similar myth a few years back. They tested whether facial piercings could attract lightning. They found that in order to make a difference the piercing had to be the size of a doorknob.

The metal plate on the back of an iPod is much smaller than a doorknob. So it is quite unlikely that your chances of being struck by lightning increase significantly by carrying an iPod.

The problem isn't the iPod or the earbuds. The problem is being struck by lightning and having millions of Volts at extremely high Amperages running trough your body. Your chances of being struck by lightning while being outside during a thunderstorm may increase slightly by wearing earbuds but the difference is insignificant. The best way to avoid being hit by lightning is not taking off your iPod, it is staying indoors.

[Big @ Jul 12th 2007 11:55AM]

duh...trying to get hit by lighting :P

[Big Ern @ Jul 12th 2007 12:13PM]

It is not uncommon for lightning strikes to pass current along the outside of the body, damaging the eyes, ears, and causing peripheral burns. This occurs because most lightning strikes, including the one described here, are not direct (as opposed to electrocutions). There is a good chance that this unfortunate individual would have sustained similar injuries even if he had not been wearing the headphones. Of course, it is also possible that the metal components did increase the damage. It is an interesting case either way...

By the way NYC teacher, have you ever tried creating a static charge outside during a thunderstorm? The relative humidity generally gets in the way!

[granny down east @ Jul 12th 2007 12:32PM]

This is somewhat of a left turn off topic, but I would caution anyone using a device like an iPod or cell phone while they are on a reinforced concrete surface. The steel reinforcement rods in the landing strip area of a local air base conducted an electrical discharge through the body of a pregnant Marine last year, killing her and the baby. She was using her cell phone at the time. There was no lightning or thunderstorm within 20 miles of the base.
I do not pretend to understand the physics of this, but I know I am now very cautious about using the devices in the open, near buildings, on the water, or near trees.

[Jake @ Jul 12th 2007 1:27PM]

The device didn't cause her. maybe she was just the highest point near by. Lightning can strike from about 30 km away from the cloud.
The bad thing is that kind of lightning is a weeee bit stronger (read that: a lot stronger) than lightning underneath a cloud... it will fry you and you won't know why.

[granny down east @ Jul 12th 2007 3:07PM]

@Jake, yes it is somewhat of a mystery why her and not her husband standing next to her. Or the much taller airplanes and buildings nearby...
It was her time to go.

[Constable Odo @ Jul 12th 2007 3:56PM]

So apparently, you don't use an umbrella when it rains. You remove all your keys and pocket change when ever the weather man says there are severe thunderstorms on the way. On TV I've seen people struck by lightning even without having all that stuff. Best we just all stay in the house on rainy days. Better yet, stay in bed wrapped in a rubber sheet. ;)

[Jake @ Jul 12th 2007 4:37PM]

i don't know about the buildings (how close they where) , but you'd have to be connected to the ground (or very close) to count as a target , airplanes aren't going to be the best option for lightning.
When you're talking about the area that lightning might strike over say ..a few hundred meters wide , the first thing that's going to count is how charged the earth there is , if there's an ionized channel though the air that's going to carry lightning and where the downward peak in the heavens (like i said , lightning can go about 30 km though the sky horizontally and then go down , create the channel and strike you ...well actually the lightning's going to go from the ground though you and into the sky , put those are too many details right now ).
If you have a building "in sight" that's not going to help , you'd have to be pretty close to it to be safe from lightning.
As far as her husband is concerned , he could've had a lot more electrical resistance going on there , not all human bodies are alike . (that's why it's so hard to properly execute people with the electric chair)

[Harlo @ Jul 12th 2007 12:41PM]

I just hope he was listening to the Electric Slide while jogging. It's electric boogie oggie oggie!

[cirby @ Jul 12th 2007 12:42PM]

Big:

Except that studies have shown that having a music player or cell phone doesn't have any statistical effect on lightning strikes. the amount of metal in the player (even with the power on) isn't enough to make a difference, when compared to the five or six foot tall electrical conductor that is the human body.

The "lightning blowing up the headphones" trick is a symptom, not a cause. The actual cause is, of course, being the high point in an area that's got a high vertical electrical potential - the difference between air and a bag full of nice conductive water is the real culprit...

[Mr. B @ Jul 12th 2007 12:44PM]

Note to self: Don't use my MP3 player in the rain.

[Steve @ Jul 12th 2007 12:45PM]

I love how this podcast network uses Apple to drive traffic to stories, then proceeds to pooh-pooh and even badmouth their products. You should be paying them royalties for hits on this non-story.

[Josh @ Jul 12th 2007 1:04PM]

Since when have podcasts been exclusively Apple? I must have missed the memo.

[Andrew @ Jul 12th 2007 1:25PM]

This is sort of an apple issue, as the headphones that come with the ipod are utter crap. They have a steel mesh speaker cover, which is very conductive to electricity. A set of rubber tipped headphones would make a cheap replacement and would in theory prevent such a disastrous shock. (Jaw broken in FOUR places?!?) Even safer are the silicone tipped Bose in-ear phones I use :)

[Nick @ Jul 12th 2007 1:32PM]

i think if a couple more of these happen.. we could have a class action suit against Apple for puting us in harms way.

[Alex @ Jul 12th 2007 1:37PM]

What about not being so stupid as to go running outside during a thunderstorm? Apple is not responsible for every moronic action of some of their customers. Should the iPod bear a sticker warning users not to shove an iPod up their nose? Anyone dumb enough to run outside during a thunderstorm is lucky to be alive at all. They probably spend the day playing in traffic. Unfortunately buying an Apple product does not increase your IQ, yet.

[KR @ Jul 12th 2007 1:51PM]

Regardless of any thunder/lightning being present, wasn't he worried about the combination of water + electronic device? I don't care if I've seen a bolt of lightning or not. If it's raining, I don't use my iPod, because I don't want it, or my headphones, getting wet.

[Crazylink @ Jul 12th 2007 1:58PM]

I think this is a job for the Mythbusters.

[rp @ Jul 12th 2007 2:23PM]

I don't really see why anyone is attacking Apple specifically. This could have and most likely did happen years before MP3 players existed. Yeah, that's right, there were portable music devices before MP3s even existed! Sony was a big name in that game back then. I'm sure there have been more cases of this over the years. Yes, headphones can direct electricity into your dome, what a shocking revelation (pun intended)!

[Constable Odo @ Jul 12th 2007 4:22PM]

Nope, there have never been documented lightning strikes to any user of a portable music player except those Apple iPod users. In all of history in the whole world. It's an Apple iPod exclusive feature.

[Casey @ Jul 12th 2007 2:53PM]

Sorry to disappoint, but this urban legend was busted on MythBusters already.

[madcrabs @ Jul 12th 2007 2:53PM]

A little off topic, and maybe I missed the joke, but why is every picture of an Apple product with music feature showing the Stadium Arcadium album?

[Casey @ Jul 12th 2007 2:53PM]

http://www.mythbustersfanclub.com/mb2/content/view/25/27/

Jamie and Adam set up two stands (both grounded) with heads made out of ballistic gel, one with a tongue stud, the other without one. The lightning machine provides strikes at about a million volts.
On the first try, the lightning strikes the head without the stud. On the second try, they switch the heads and the lighting strikes the head with the stud but Jamie notices the strike goes through the head and does not hit the stud. Successive tries show that the lightning goes through the head but does not hit the stud. A bolt in the mouth shows the lightning takes a path to the bolt through the head. They only get a direct hit when they stick a doorknob into the head. Jamie and Adam find lightning to be very unpredictable " myth BUSTED.

[Jim @ Jul 12th 2007 3:47PM]

If I were Apple - I'd be kinda angry about this article...

Kudos Alex, for citing myth busters.

This likely could have happened with ANY earphones... This article even mentions that! Simple highschool logic would be nice here... If "A" happens and "B" happens next, "A" did not necessarily cause "B"...

[Constable Odo @ Jul 12th 2007 3:50PM]

iPod use has been deemed extremely dangerous for the wearer and bystanders alike. iPods have been known to attract lightning bolts out of even a clear sky. One iPod user reported having been struck by lightning in a New York City Subway station. The user claimed that a lightning bolt from a storm above ground struck the third rail at an outdoor station and traveled five stops and leapt up to strike his iPod and flash-incinerate his clothing. The lightning strike left him naked and stunned as passerby's pointed and laughed at him. Said user filed lawsuit against Apple and NYC MTA for $150 million dollars and a replacement iPod.
A scientific study claims this lightning strike phenomenon only occurs to iPod wearers. No other brand has ever been known to attract lightning. It seems as though the click wheel has a combination of elements that make the iPod extremely attractive to lightning or any electron flow.
A poll of five Zune users indicated that no Zune user has ever been struck by lightning.

[Whamm @ Jul 15th 2007 8:41PM]

I didn't realize that 5 Zunes had even been sold.

Anyway, thank you for pointing out the extreme lightening hazard presented by Apple's iPod. I'll have to go looking for alternatives.