Lightning Is Less Deadly Than It Used To Be
Jul 19, 2013, 02:37 IST
Good news everyone, lightning is less deadly than it used to be, according to the CDC's National Vital Statistics System.
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Jiaquan Xu, MD writes in the July 19 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report:
From 1968 to 2010, deaths from lightning in the United States decreased by 78.6% among males and 70.6% among females. During this 43-year period, a total of 3,389 deaths from lightning were recorded, an average of 79 per year. The highest yearly total of deaths from lightning (131) was recorded in 1969, and the lowest total (29) was recorded in 2008 and again in 2010. During the period, 85.0% of lightning deaths were among males. Here's the chart:
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