Is there a rationale from science to avoid taking a shower during a thunderstorm?
In: Chemistry
There is some rationale from science about avoiding a shower during a thunder storm but I think it starts to fall apart now that most plumbing is no longer made from metal. Back when most plumbing was made from copper/lead it was entirely possible that the system could get energised if it was hit by lightning which would put someone in the shower at high risk of being shocked (water tends to be conductive as well). These days a lot of plumbing is made from PVC piping which makes it far less likely that the path to earth that includes you is the path of least resistance for the lightning strike.
That said, I would still follow the “avoid taking a shower during a thunderstorm” advice because I don’t want to roll the dice and be that one person that proves that water flowing through PVC piping is good enough for lightning to discharge through.
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