WEBVTT - Is It Dangerous to Bathe During a Thunderstorm?

0:00:01.800 --> 0:00:07.120
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey

0:00:07.120 --> 0:00:11.440
<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Vogel bomb here is it dangerous to

0:00:11.520 --> 0:00:16.360
<v Speaker 1>bathe in a thunderstorm? A bathtub would be a lot easier? Seriously, though,

0:00:16.520 --> 0:00:19.919
<v Speaker 1>it's long been rumored that taking a nice hot soak

0:00:20.000 --> 0:00:23.000
<v Speaker 1>in the tub or enjoying a shower is a dangerous

0:00:23.040 --> 0:00:27.800
<v Speaker 1>proposition when electricity is coursing through the sky. The basic

0:00:27.880 --> 0:00:32.080
<v Speaker 1>answer is yes, absolutely, it's better to put off bathing

0:00:32.200 --> 0:00:36.280
<v Speaker 1>until after the thunder stops rolling. But let's discuss why

0:00:36.320 --> 0:00:40.239
<v Speaker 1>this is even a question. There are a lot of

0:00:40.320 --> 0:00:44.960
<v Speaker 1>myths about lightning. Understandably, it's pretty mythic. Bolt of lightning

0:00:45.040 --> 0:00:47.120
<v Speaker 1>is hotter than the surface of the sun. It can

0:00:47.120 --> 0:00:52.240
<v Speaker 1>reach some fifty degrees fahrenheit. But for example, a plane

0:00:52.280 --> 0:00:54.760
<v Speaker 1>getting hit by lightning isn't usually that bit of a deal.

0:00:55.440 --> 0:00:58.960
<v Speaker 1>Although pilots do try to avoid thunderstorms, planes are built

0:00:59.000 --> 0:01:03.720
<v Speaker 1>too safely conduct currents, and, contrary to the saying lightning

0:01:03.760 --> 0:01:06.640
<v Speaker 1>will strike the same place twice a many tall structures

0:01:06.640 --> 0:01:10.120
<v Speaker 1>are hit. Often. Even the old rubber tires on a

0:01:10.120 --> 0:01:13.040
<v Speaker 1>car will protect you from lightning strikes. Adage is false.

0:01:13.480 --> 0:01:15.480
<v Speaker 1>A car is safe because it has a metal roof

0:01:15.520 --> 0:01:19.720
<v Speaker 1>and sides to conduct the current to the ground. There

0:01:19.760 --> 0:01:23.280
<v Speaker 1>are a lot of common misconceptions about how lightning works

0:01:23.319 --> 0:01:26.199
<v Speaker 1>and what it can affect, so it's not that weird

0:01:26.280 --> 0:01:28.440
<v Speaker 1>to think that the old don't shower during a storm

0:01:28.480 --> 0:01:32.240
<v Speaker 1>line is just another myth. But don't be mistaken about

0:01:32.280 --> 0:01:36.800
<v Speaker 1>this one. It really is dangerous to bathe during a thunderstorm,

0:01:36.840 --> 0:01:39.920
<v Speaker 1>and not just theoretically dangerous. Ten to twenty people a

0:01:40.040 --> 0:01:42.560
<v Speaker 1>year in the u s alone are injured while messing

0:01:42.560 --> 0:01:46.520
<v Speaker 1>around with household water during a storm, and that doesn't

0:01:46.520 --> 0:01:49.279
<v Speaker 1>just mean sitting in the tub waiting for literal lightning

0:01:49.320 --> 0:01:52.800
<v Speaker 1>to strike. Doing the dishes, or even just using faucets

0:01:52.840 --> 0:01:57.560
<v Speaker 1>can be dangerous too. The reasons are grounded in the pipes.

0:01:58.440 --> 0:02:00.960
<v Speaker 1>A lot of pipes used in household plumbing are made

0:02:00.960 --> 0:02:04.320
<v Speaker 1>of metal, which attracts and conducts a bolt of electricity,

0:02:04.880 --> 0:02:09.000
<v Speaker 1>and the water itself, even if it doesn't contain conducive impurities,

0:02:09.000 --> 0:02:12.880
<v Speaker 1>which it probably does, will help conduct the electricity. So

0:02:13.280 --> 0:02:15.600
<v Speaker 1>cover yourself in the wet stuff, either in a shower,

0:02:15.760 --> 0:02:18.600
<v Speaker 1>bath or just using the faucet in general, and you

0:02:18.680 --> 0:02:23.960
<v Speaker 1>help that electric current jump right to you. But running

0:02:23.960 --> 0:02:27.040
<v Speaker 1>the taps or Bathing during a thunderstorm isn't the biggest

0:02:27.080 --> 0:02:30.880
<v Speaker 1>threat for health and welfare. Every year, around twenty people

0:02:30.919 --> 0:02:33.040
<v Speaker 1>in the US are killed due to lightning strikes and

0:02:33.120 --> 0:02:36.560
<v Speaker 1>hundreds more are injured, though most often when they're outside

0:02:36.639 --> 0:02:39.040
<v Speaker 1>and a flat, open area like a beach or a

0:02:39.080 --> 0:02:43.280
<v Speaker 1>golf course. Still, the National Weather Service does not take

0:02:43.320 --> 0:02:47.000
<v Speaker 1>this risk lightly. The agency advises that during a thunderstorm,

0:02:47.040 --> 0:02:50.200
<v Speaker 1>it's best to go inside and stay away from plumbing

0:02:50.200 --> 0:02:53.799
<v Speaker 1>and faucets, an excellent excuse to skip during the dishes

0:02:53.880 --> 0:03:01.400
<v Speaker 1>during a dark and stormy night. Today's episode is based

0:03:01.440 --> 0:03:04.200
<v Speaker 1>on the article is it dangerous to bathe during a thunderstorm?

0:03:04.240 --> 0:03:06.520
<v Speaker 1>On how stuff works dot com, written by Kate Kirshner.

0:03:06.919 --> 0:03:09.239
<v Speaker 1>Brain Stuff is production by Heart Radio in partnership with

0:03:09.240 --> 0:03:11.680
<v Speaker 1>how stuff works dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang.

0:03:12.200 --> 0:03:14.480
<v Speaker 1>Four more podcasts from my heart Radio. Visit the i

0:03:14.560 --> 0:03:17.120
<v Speaker 1>heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to

0:03:17.200 --> 0:03:18.040
<v Speaker 1>your favorite shows.