The Explosive Effects of Lightning: What are the Risks?

Abstract

The explosive effects of lightning have been known to exist for some time; however the precise risks associated with it have been generally unknown. This curious injury phenomenon has existed historically under many different names in the literature: “lightning's pressure blast wave,” “arc blast,” “shattering effects of lightning,” “pressures developed by arcs,” “thunder generation of shock waves,” and “the sixth mechanism of lightning injury” are but a few of the many divergent and disparate terminologies used in the past to describe this invisible blast phenomenon. Blunt force trauma injuries and barotrauma injuries are often identified on lightning strike victims. Lightning's pressure blast wave and its associated overpressure does appear to have significant injury implications associated with it. This paper takes an in-depth look at the explosive effects of lightning and the main blast-related pathologies seen on lightning strike victims. Knowledge and insight into this phenomenon may help forensic pathologists and those working in the fields of lightning injury and lightning protection. A general literature search of the medical, the electrical engineering, and the mechanical engineering literature was conducted. By looking exclusively at the pathology of barotrauma in the human body, forensic pathologists may now get a relatively good idea as to the possible overpressures and distances involved with regards to lightning's explosive effects.