Can the near field of ligthning impulse in down conductors cause harmful health effects?

The gradient magnetic field generated by the lightning current flowing in the down conductor is a well known phenomenon and its induced overvoltage have brought out the issue of secondary lightning protection. But, the effects of this time-varying magnetic field on human body have not been widely investigated however the probable adverse health effects of these fields have been well studied. Intensive investigations were led of this field because the patients at magnetic resonance imaging diagnostic systems are exposed to intense gradient fields and the safety of the subjects is a key-question, obviously. In this study, the results of a simple model calculation are compared to the limits connecting to the safety of MR examinations and conclusions are drawn.