Static electricity is an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material. It is created whenever two surfaces contact and separate, with at least one surface having a high resistance. The interaction of static electric charges is called electrostatics. Static electricity results from the triboelectric effect, where electrons are exchanged between materials on contact, resulting in one material becoming positively charged and the other negatively charged. Excess static charge can be removed or prevented by increasing moisture, using an air ionizer, or applying antistatic agents. Static discharge occurs as excess charge is neutralized by flowing to the surroundings, which can cause sparks responsible for industrial fires.