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© 1990 Oxford University Press

research-article

An Epidemiological Description of Lightning-Related Deaths in the United States

PHILIPPE J DUCLOS and LEE M SANDERSON

Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, Center for Environmental Health and Injury Control, Centers for Disease Control, Public Health Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Atlanta, GA 30333, USA

Duclos P J (Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, Contors for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA) and Sanderson L M. An epidemiological description of lightning-related deaths in the United States. International Journal of Epidemiology 1990, 19: 673–679.

To better quantify and update the health impact of lightning and to compare potential sources of information, we reviewed data from the National Centre for Health Statistics (NCHS) database for 1968 through 1985 and from the North Carolina Medical Examiner (NCME) computerized database for 1972 through 1984. We epidemiologically characterized all lightning-related deaths identified in these databases. Results of our analysis are presented together with previously published information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. In the US, Wyoming has the highest average annual lightning-related death rate (0.196/100 000), whereas Florida has the largest cumulative incidence of deaths (200) for this 18-year period. Death rates are the highest for males and for people 10–19 years old. There is a tendency toward a slight, but steady, decrease in the yearly incidence of lightning-related deaths. One-third of the fatalities are job-related. Both the NCHS and NCME databases are limited in describing the circumstances and aetiologies of these deaths.

Revised 1 November 1989


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