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Powerful solar storm approaches Earth: Here’s how it may affect your health

Solar storms emit harmful radiations, exposure to which is potentially harmful and can cause organ damage, radiation sickness and cancer.

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A powerful solar storm, moving towards the Earth at a speed of 1.6 million kilometers per hour, may hit today. The storm originated from a hole which has opened up in the Sun's atmosphere.

A solar storm is a powerful phenomenon which has the ability to plunge humans into chaos. It can cause satellite troubles, affect mobile phone and GPS signals and cause widespread blackouts. Furthermore, a solar storm can also affect human health.

How solar storms impact human health?

Solar storms emit radiations, exposure to which is harmful to humans and can cause organ damage, radiation sickness and cancer.

Most experts state that there’s no significant risk to humans on the ground from solar flare. This is due to the fact that the Earth's atmosphere acts as a protective shield for living beings, absorbing most of the radiation.

But for passengers on a plane, flying during the solar storm may have a few health risks. Studies suggest pilots may be at an increased risk of cataract. Passengers and crew might experience significant exposure to radiation. Therefore, flights are sometimes rerouted to shield from any radiation exposure due to solar storms.

Astronauts in space may be more at risk than those nearer to Earth’s surface.

While most suggest that one shouldn't be concerned much solar storms affecting human health, some are not certain of them being entirely harmless to humans. As per a US study that explored the link between solar storms and cardiovascular diseases, “Interactions between [geomagnetic disturbances] and the autonomic nervous system are likely to induce a cascade of reactions in the body’s electrophysiology that culminate in the collapse of organ functions and death,”

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