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The Fatal Current

Electric currents as low as 42 volts DC or 110 volts AC from household wiring can be fatal if they pass through the body. Any electrical device connected to household wiring could transmit a lethal current under the right conditions. Currents between 100-200 mA are lethal, as they cause ventricular fibrillation of the heart, leading to death. Immediate artificial respiration is needed if breathing stops after an electric shock, regardless of the voltage, as the current passed through vital organs determines severity, not voltage alone.

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Sherif Mahmoud
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75 views

The Fatal Current

Electric currents as low as 42 volts DC or 110 volts AC from household wiring can be fatal if they pass through the body. Any electrical device connected to household wiring could transmit a lethal current under the right conditions. Currents between 100-200 mA are lethal, as they cause ventricular fibrillation of the heart, leading to death. Immediate artificial respiration is needed if breathing stops after an electric shock, regardless of the voltage, as the current passed through vital organs determines severity, not voltage alone.

Uploaded by

Sherif Mahmoud
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Fatal Current

Strange as it may seem, most fatal electric shocks happen to people who
should know better. Here are some electro-medical facts that should make
you think twice before taking that last chance.

It's The Current That Kills


Offhand it would seem that a shock of 10,000 volts would be more deadly
than 100 volts. But this is not so! Individuals have been electrocuted by
appliances using ordinary house currents of 110 volts and by electrical
apparatus in industry using as little as 42 volts direct current. The real
measure of shock's intensity lies in the amount of current (amperes) forced
though the body, and not the voltage. Any electrical device used on a house
wiring circuit can, under certain conditions, transmit a fatal current.

While any amount of current over 10 milliamps (0.01 amp) is capable of


producing painful to severe shock, currents between 100 and 200 mA (0.1 to
0.2 amp) are lethal. Currents above 200 milliamps (0.2 amp), while
producing severe burns and unconsciousness, do not usually cause death if
the victim is given immediate attention. Resuscitation, consisting of
artificial respiration, will usually revive the victim.

From a practical viewpoint, after a person is knocked out by an electrical


shock it is impossible to tell how much current has passed through the vital
organs of his body. Artificial respiration must be applied immediately if
breathing has stopped.

The Physiological Effects of Electric Shock


The chart shows the physiological effects of various currents. Note that
voltage is not a consideration. Although it takes voltage to make current
flow, the amount of shock-current will vary, depending on the body
resistance between the points of contact.
As shown in the chart, shock is relatively more severe as the
current rises. For currents above 10 milliamps, muscular
contractions are so strong that the victim cannot let go of the
wire that is shocking him. At values as low as 20 milliamps,
breathing becomes labored, finally ceasing completely even
at values below 75 milliamps.

As the current approaches 100 milliamps, ventricular


fibrillation of the heart occurs - an uncoordinated twitching
of the walls of the heart's ventricles which results in death.

Above 200 milliamps, the muscular contractions are so


severe that the heart is forcibly clamped during the shock.
This clamping protects the heart from going into ventricular
fibrillation, and the victim's chances for survival are good.

Danger - Low Voltage


It is common knowledge that victims of high-voltage shock usually respond
to artificial respiration more readily that the victims of low-voltage shock.
The reason may be the merciful clamping of the heart, owing to the high
current densities associated with high voltages. However, lest these details
be misinterpreted, the only reasonable conclusion that can be drawn is that
75 volts are just as lethal as 750 volts.

The actual resistance of the body varies depending upon the points of
contact and the skin condition (moist or dry). Between the ears, for example,
the internal resistance (less the skin resistance) is only 100 ohms, while from
hand to foot is closer to 500 ohms. The skin resistance may vary from 1000
ohms for wet skin to over 500,000 ohms for dry skin.

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