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2 registered
(Hutch, M_K)
and 22 anonymous users online.
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#177612 - 05/08/08 12:15 PM
Enough to stop your heart
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wiking
Junior Member
Registered: 12/13/02
Posts: 32
Loc: Florida, USA
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When I was in apprenticeship, they taught us that 50 milliamps was enough to stop your heart. When I quoted that the other day, an engineer corrected me by saying that it was 5 milliamps. We both volunteered our confidence in our figures, so I was wondering if the figure had changed.
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#177632 - 05/08/08 09:03 PM
Re: Enough to stop your heart
[Re: wiking]
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dura101
Member
Registered: 05/04/08
Posts: 13
Loc: Canada
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I was always taught that 100 mA would do you in. Here is a link to a website that talks about the effects of current on the heart.
http://www.tpub.com/neets/book2/5j.htm
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#177648 - 05/09/08 06:45 AM
Re: Enough to stop your heart
[Re: sparkyinak]
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SteveFehr
Member
Registered: 03/19/05
Posts: 926
Loc: Chesapeake, VA
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5ma will not stop your heart. 5ma is "safe", which is why GFCI is set to not allow any more than that.
Just like radiation levels, there is no actual current level that is garunteed to kill you- but at somewhere around 20-100ma through your heart, it will stop beating properly. In this range, muscle action is also inhibited, preventing the victim from escaping the shock.
FYI, there was a man once killed himself with a 9V battery during a classroom exercise. He pierced his skin with the ohmeter probes, lower the contact resistance to the point where he recieved a lethal shock through his heart. It does not take much!
"one hand rule", anyone?
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#177652 - 05/09/08 08:09 AM
Re: Enough to stop your heart
[Re: SteveFehr]
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renosteinke
Cat Servant
Moderator
Registered: 01/22/05
Posts: 3100
Loc: Reno Nv USA
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5mA is generally considered the 'annoying shock' level, where you feel it, but no real harm results. As others have mentioned, nothing is certain in this world.
The electrocution I witnessed - breathing and heart stopped cold, WAS able to re-start manually - was almost certainly at a very low current level. The current exited the mans' temple ... apparently causing the brain to shut down. This path would call for much less current that 'through the heart.' Through means not quite understood by medicine, the body actually does a pretty good job of directing current around the heart.
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#177672 - 05/09/08 01:21 PM
Re: Enough to stop your heart
[Re: SteveFehr]
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LarryC
Member
Registered: 07/05/04
Posts: 320
Loc: Winchester, NH, US
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I believe it was a USN sailor in electricians Mate "A" school. I think it was after learning about "internal resistance" with respect to batteries.
Larry C
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