240V overhead line NOT

[Josh]

Yes, it's the current that kills (if enough of it passes through the right path), but the voltage creates that current:

I (current) = V (voltage) / R (resistance)

The lower your skin/body resistance (wet skin has much lower resistance than dry skin) or the higher the voltage, the higher the current.

Lower voltages often aren't as dangerous for 2 reasons:

1) Whatever your body's resistance, the current is lower 2) The low voltage is often supplied by batteries or transformers with lower current capacity (high internal resistance) -- if your body tries to sink a lot of current (low body resistance), the voltage drops significantly. On the other hand, a car battery can supply hundreds of amps at 12V, and you could easily electrocute yourself with one if your body resistance/path is right.

Josh

[Dean Hoffman]

You can, of course, cite a few instances of people being electrocuted with 12 VDC?

[harry]

I thought it was something to do with an orgasm! :-)

[harry]

You can get thousands of amps from the mains under fault conditions, even in the house. I never heard of anyone killed with a car battery. I did see a seroius injury when someone shorted out a car battery with a metal wrist watch strap. He had a serious burn right round his wrist.

[Josh]

Of course not, this is Usenet!

Upon research, I'll retract most of that (especially the "easy" part) and say that generally, 12V isn't considered enough to break the skin resistance -- some references say 48V is required for *dry* skin, with wet skin less but still not enough to kill. I can buy that.

However, almost everything I've read is talking about *touching* the terminals with your skin in the way -- if you punctured the skin through to blood/other fluids, you create a much lower resistance path that I believe could be deadly. Imagine falling on the sharp edges of the jumper cables, for instance. I can't find reference to specific instances, but I wouldn't chance it myself...

The bigger risk with a car battery is burns (shorting across a ring/bracelet and a wrench) or explosion/acid burns.

Josh

[Dean Hoffman]

I've heard stories about burns caused by watch bands, jewelry and such. It's always someone who heard about the guy who..................... Harry's is the first eye witness account I've heard. Mechanics I know don't wear anything metal on their hands or arms. I do irrigation wiring. We can run anything under 30 volts (AC usually) into a panel without going through a disconnecting means.

[Nonny]

While not electrical, I stopped wearing my wedding band for anything more than just "going out," as a very young married man. During college, I was the building electrician for our highrise married student housing complex. One day, I'd left the toolbelt in the roller kart and had left for class. As I was crossing campus, I spotted a fellow who had been drilling a form with a

5/8" augur bit. He was dancing around and holding his hand. I ran over and spotted the squirting blood. The bit had caught under his wedding ring and had entered inside the ring: cutting off his finger. I helped him wrap the hand in his shirt and my handkerchief, picked up the finger and ring from the ground and helped the poor guy over to the infirmary. This was the 60's and sewing a finger back on wasn't in the cards. When I got back to our apartment, my wedding ring went into the jewelry box.

[harry]

Come to think, I saw another accident with a battery. This guy disconnected a battery from a charger without first turning the charger off. (ie took the crocodile clips off the battery terminals). There was an exposion that blew the top off the battery and showered him with acid. He was wearing spectacles, so he was fortunate, he didn't get any in his eyes. The electrical spark must have ignited hydrogen gas. He didn't do that again! Heh! Heh!

[Gary H]

BTW, the word "electrocute" comes from "execute" which does NOT mean "kill". It actually means "do". When a prisoner is sentenced to death, it's the sentence that's executed not the prisoner.

[trader4]

That's good to know. So, if one is told they are going to be executed, it just means they are going to be done, not killed.

Dumb ass.

ex=B7e=B7cu=B7tion (ks-kyshn) n.

1. a. The act of executing something. b. The state of being executed.
2. The manner, style, or result of performance: The plan was sound; its execution, faulty.
3. The act or an instance of putting to death or being put to death as a lawful penalty.
4. Law a. The carrying into effect of a court judgment. b. A writ empowering an officer to enforce a judgment. c. Validation of a legal document by the performance of all necessary formalities.
5. Archaic Effective, punitive, or destructive action. The Ame