Frankfurt  - Lightning isn't only an outdoor hazard. In houses without adequate lightning protection, it can turn bathing or showering into a dangerous undertaking.

"In some older houses, an electrical shock could be delivered along the water pipes," says Thomas Raphael of the Frankfurt-based VDE Association for Electronic Technology, Electronics and Information Technology.

There's also a risk of lightning shocks being transmitted via the telephone or plugged-in electronics in houses without protection.

According to Raphael, those older houses are not equipped with lightning rods or conductors that utilize potential equalization, which links and grounds all metal circuits in a house. Such protection minimizes damage, if a lightning strike hits outdoor power cables.

Such safeguards, plastic water pipes rather than metal ones, for example, are standard in newer buildings and make it safe to bathe in stormy weather.

Those living in older houses without lightning protection should unplug telephones, computers and televisions during storms, protecting them from damage in case of a lightning strike. If that's too much work, it's safer to at least install special socket inserts that protect against surges.

Information: VDE provides a free brochure about protection from lightning strikes which can be downloaded at www. vde. com/. (dpa)