Does hair standing on end signal incoming lightning? Kuya Kim answers

A couple visiting Binondo was frightened when they saw that the hair of the people queuing at a nearby store began to stand on end.

In Kuya Kim’s report on “24 Oras,” Wednesday, Maika Hachero said that the peculiar sight happened on July 6.

“Napadpad po kami doon sa isang store. Habang nakapila kami doon, nagulat ako kasi nagtatayuan na ‘yung mga buhok ng mga tao,” she said.

“First time ko makakita ng gano’n. Naalala ko na once daw na tumayo daw ‘yung buhok mo, there might be a possibility na makidlatan." 

According to Kuya Kim, standing hair can commonly be a response to fear or cold, a bodily reaction called piloerection where small muscles at the base of hair follicles contract.

However, this was not the case in Binondo.

Instead, it was caused by static electricity, which is an electrical charge that results from friction or an imbalance of electrons on a material's surface.

“Itong electrostatic, ito ‘yung electrons, they can transfer and then move from one object to another,” FEU High School technical coordinator and physics teacher Ryan Victorio said.

He took notice that the ground was wet, which possibly meant that it had just finished raining.

“‘Yung clouds natin, ‘pag nag-collide ‘yung mga particles, usually nagko-cause ng electrically charged. Possibly after the rain, very condensed ‘yung accumulation nung clouds na electrically charged. 'Yun ‘yung nagko-cause nung pagtayo ng mga buhok ng mga tao na 'to sa Binondo,” Victorio said.

He added that dry air could also cause attraction.

“Possibly kung may malalaking generators na nagko-cause nung attraction na ‘yon nearby,” he said.

While static electricity can potentially lead to thunder or lightning, it is generally not directly harmful to people.

“Totoo na maaaring magsanhi ng kulog o kidlat pero hindi ito totoo na tatama directly doon sa tao. Manageable naman siya. Hindi naman siya highly risky pagdating doon sa mga tao unless mataas ‘yung boltahe,” Victorio said.

—Carby Rose Basina/CDC, GMA Integrated News