When is it safe for electric current to pass through the body, and when is it dangerous?
I don’t mean quantity of voltage; I mean that is it dangerous if I were to hang from a live wire (aka not grounded), or if I am grounded is that dangerous? Is it possible to have electric current flowing through the body safely, then instantly die because you touch a ground/stop touching a ground?
In: Physics
It can kill you if you are grounded or if your body’s resistance to current flow is lower than any other pathway (ex. Air). If 35 Milliampere or more goes through your heart it will kill you. If you are grounded but the pathway through your body does not go through your heart, you may be severely burnt, especially where the current enters/exits your body. But if the voltage is low (ex. 12 Volts) and the amperage is low (ex. 1 Amp) you won’t feel any effect. At 120 Volts (or over)and 1 Amp of current the higher Voltage will allow the current to overcome skin/flesh resistance and the current to flow through you. If this current hits your heart, you’ll be dead.
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