From an alarm clock going off in the morning to turning off the lights at the end of the day, electricity is always there accompanying us. Almost everyone has countless daily encounters with electricity and almost everyone does so safely, without injury, thanks to safety measures surrounding electrical energy.
But electricity is not averse to jumping into and passing through our bodies and causing electric shock injuries. In the United States, there are around 300 deaths and 4,000 injuries from electrical hazards each year among workers, and almost 50 deaths per year in homes because of faulty products.
It’s easy to forget the power of electricity, so let’s remind ourselves why we need to avoid electric shock by studying this phenomenon and getting a better understanding of its power.
Understanding Electric Shock
Electricity is all around us and helps us in our daily lives. But electric shock is something to avoid. Let’s delve deeper into electric shock and its effects on the human body.
What Is Electric Shock?
An electric shock happens when a body comes into contact with live electricity. The connection means the current flows through the body with imposition.
People can get an electric shock from as few as 50 volts. Static electricity shocks, such as those we experience when getting out of cars, can be as high as 10,000 volts. These static shocks don’t cause lasting damage because they endure for such short periods.
It’s also worth noting that animals are more sensitive to electric shocks than people and require protection from low-voltage electrical currents.
What Happens When Electricity Passes Through the Human Body?
Electricity is a flow of electrons that goes through a conductor from source to destination. Copper is a good conductor of electricity, which is why it’s used in many electrical cables.
The human body is also a pretty good conductor of electricity. Given a chance, electricity will pass from a source, like an electrical outlet, through our body and into the ground. It is this flow that causes the shock and potential burning.
Everyone is unique, and each body will conduct a different amount of electricity. Other factors count as well. For example, someone with wet hands will get a greater shock than if their hands were dry.
What Does an Electric Shock Feel Like?
Electric shocks vary from mild tingling sensations to causing cardiac arrest and death. Much depends on the voltage received, the type of current, and if the electricity touched the heart or vital organs.
A mild electric shock may cause someone to jump a little or feel mild pain. Electrical injuries are possible; sometimes, the electric shock causes an electrical burn where the electricity enters and exits the body.
Other folks may feel excruciating pain throughout their body, be knocked unconscious, or suffer muscle spasms. Some people report remembering nothing of the electric shock or say it felt like being hit by a bus.
What Are the Symptoms of Electric Shock?
People react differently to electric shocks. Symptoms depend on the source of electricity (for example, high or low voltage), the type of current, the person’s health, and how long they were in contact with the electric current.
Electric shock symptoms include:
- Breathing difficulties or not breathing at all
- Electrical burns
- Loss of consciousness
- A weak or variable pulse or no pulse at all
- Cardiac arrest
What Injuries Can Electric Shock Cause?
Electrical injuries from electric shocks include electrical burns, disrupting heart rhythms, and muscle spasms.
Electrical burns often occur with higher-voltage shocks that last longer than a few fractions of a second. Severe burns can cause external and internal injuries, damaging tissues and internal organs as a result of the electrical current passing through the body. Some parts of the body may require surgery or amputation, or the injuries could be permanently disabling.
Burns may also happen to the skin from sparks caused by the electric shock, clothing setting fire, or batteries or electrical appliances exploding. Burns can range from the mildest first-degree burns to the most severe third-degree burns.
Muscle contractions and spasms can be so strong that people break bones or dislocate their joints. Some people suffering muscle spasms cannot let go of the source of the electric shock, worsening their exposure to the electrical current. This gripping may induce unconsciousness or risk more significant injury through falling.
In the worst-case scenario, electric shock can cause death.
Effects of Electric Shock
As discussed, there are many effects of electric shock. Discover more details about how to deal with the aftermath of an accident.
How Do You Treat an Electric Shock?
The first and most important thing to do when someone suffers an electric shock is not to touch them. The victim may still be in contact with the source of their electric shock. If that’s the case, touching them will mean you also receive an electric shock.
The next steps are:
- Switch off the electricity at the main source, remove fuses, and unplug all appliances and electrical cords.
- If you cannot turn off the electricity, move the person from the electrical source using non-conductive materials like a wooden broom. Ensure they’re not in contact with water.
- Keep yourself and others away from any downed power lines.
Once the area and person are safe, you can approach them and check they are conscious and breathing. Talk to them and see how they feel.
If the injuries are minor, such as a first-degree burn, run the burnt area under cold water for at least 20 minutes, then cover it with a sterile bandage or gauze from the emergency medicine cabinet.
Call for medical attention if the person has no pulse and is not breathing. Dial 911 and ask for the emergency department or the relevant healthcare provider if emergency care is required — the person may have internal damage you cannot see.
Workplaces and public spaces should have defibrillators nearby. A qualified first aid respondent can begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until the ambulance, police, or help arrives.
Once the victim arrives at the hospital, doctors can monitor heart rates with electrocardiograms to check for any irregularities and internal injuries.
When Should I Go to the Doctor After Electric Shock?
If you have suffered a low-voltage shock, call your doctor if the minor burns swell, hurt more, become warm, or don’t heal. Get in touch with them if you have difficulty breathing, your muscles ache, you feel weak, or your urine is brown or pink.
All pregnant women who suffer an electric shock should contact their doctor.
A trip to the emergency department is recommended for anyone who experiences any of the following symptoms after an electric shock:
- Noticeable burns
- Unconsciousness
- Confusion
- Breathing difficulties
- A seizure
- Hearing, vision, or speech problems
- Paralysis
- Numbness or tingling
Can an Electric Shock Damage Your Heart?
Yes, an electric shock can damage your heart. Heart damage is probably the most serious issue facing someone who has come into contact with an electrical current. An electric shock can induce cardiac arrest and heart attacks as well as generate irregular heart rhythms, called arrhythmias.
Can an Electric Shock Damage Your Brain?
Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Electric shocks can damage someone’s brain. Electric shock victims may suffer issues a variety of issues, such as the inability to perform daily tasks, depression, memory loss, and deficient motor skills.
Brain damage can manifest in many forms, from dizziness to delayed reactions to fatigue. Anyone suffering from health issues after an electric shock should contact their physician.
What Kills You: Voltage or Current?
Ultimately, the slight changes in current — the amperage — have the most significant bearing on whether someone can survive an electric shock.
The amperage is the amount or volume of electricity flowing. Suppose we think of an electrical circuit as a river and the water passing through. The amperage is the amount of water flowing along the river.
The volts concern the potential for energy to move. With our river analogy, a high-voltage river would be one that was running down a steep embankment. With low amperage, this high-voltage river would be like a trickling waterfall and pose little danger.
A low-voltage river would be more one meandering along the flat countryside. However, it could have a massive water flow, that’s to say, many amperes. This higher flow is what is dangerous — someone could drown in the river with the high water flow. The same is true for a current with high amperage — it’s the amps that bring the greater risk.
High voltage and high amperage together spell trouble. It’s like putting yourself under Niagra Falls.
Which Is More Dangerous: Alternating or Direct Current?
The type and strength of the electrical current that causes an electrical shock significantly impact the injuries someone may suffer.
Alternating current is the most common at home and work; lights and appliances usually run on alternating currents. This type of electricity flows one way and then another rapidly, creating a sinewave. Conversely, direct currents only flow in one direction.
Research has shown that direct current electric shock victims explain that they find it hard to let go of the source of electricity. Muscle contraction around the source leads to greater exposure to the electrical direct current.
On the other hand, alternating current shock victims can often pull their hands back. It is thought this happens when the current passes zero current as part of its alternating behavior. However, the bodies of people experiencing an alternating current shock pass more current than those suffering a direct current shock.
Overall, a more direct current is required to replicate the effects of a weaker alternating current. Both, however, are equally dangerous.
How Much Electricity Is Necessary to Give an Electric Shock?
A minimal electric current over a prolonged period can kill someone. Generally, as little as 50 volts is enough to kill someone. It’s a little more complicated than mere voltage, though. The shock duration is important but most important is the current passing through the body.
Where the electricity enters the body is significant too. For example, an electric shock passing from one arm through the chest and out another arm is dangerous because it travels past the heart. However, electricity passing between toes is not as menacing.
While volts play a role, the most vital measurement, other than time, is the current, measured in amperes, or amps. The current is what pushes electrons through a circuit. A static electrical shock may contain 20,000 volts but will be extremely short and with a low current. That’s why these annoying little shocks are rarely more than that.
Home circuits in the U.S. usually have 120-volt or 240-volt circuits. Modern homes typically have two circuits. Their currents are 15 amps for lighting and 20 amps for general-purpose electrical outlets. These are potentially lethal because of the current (amps).
Here are the average reactions to electrical currents according to Baylor University:
- 1 Milliampere: This can be perceived and felt, but not painful.
- 5 Milliamperes: There’s a slight shock felt, which, while not painful, could be disturbing.
- 6-30 Milliamperes: This is the painful shock region and the so-called let-go range.
- 50-150 Milliamperes: This current causes extreme pain, respiratory arrest, and severe muscular contraction.
- 1,000-4,300 Milliamperes: At this strength, heart rhythms are affected, causing an arrhythmia.
- 10,000+ Milliamperes: This is the extreme danger zone, with the shock bringing cardiac arrest, severe burns, and probable death.
That’s why the 15 and 20-amp circuits in buildings can be dangerous. On the other side, a 9V battery drives minimal current. Remember the analogy of volts being the steepness of a river down which water (amps) flow — and thus cannot be of danger.
Now to the dramatic: a lightning flash may be short but it contains more than 300 million volts and 30,000 amps. A direct current lightning strike is often fatal, with 30% of victims dying and 70% of survivors suffering ongoing medical conditions after the incident.
Electric Shock and Death
While most instances of electric shock are not fatal, it’s still critical to understand the dangers and how to avoid them. Here’s what you need to know.
Does Electrocuted Mean Death?
Yes, electrocuted and electrocution mean death. The Cambridge Dictionary defines electrocution as “the action of killing someone by causing electricity to flow through their body.”
This electricity may be administered accidentally, such as from an electrical outlet, or on purpose. Eight states in the U.S. permit the execution of prisoners via electrocution. These states are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and South Carolina.
Is Death by Electrocution Painful?
We cannot know how painful electrocution has been for someone who dies of electrocution for they cannot return to describe the sensation.
The closest people come to an understanding of whether electrocution is painful or not has come through the electric chair. The controlled environment allows doctors and professionals to assess the deceased. The electric chair was initially adopted as people sought a more humane death penalty than hanging.
Witness testimonies suggest that some prisoners’ hearts continue beating after an initial 30-second burst of 500 to 2,000 volts. Electricity continues to be given to an inmate until they die, which may be after one or several administrations. People suffer gruesome injuries, from limb dislocations to burns and worse, so we can probably assume that there is severe pain associated with death by electrocution.
How Can You Reduce the Risk of Electric Shock?
There are numerous ways to reduce the risk of an electric shock. These include:
- Keeping electrical appliances, cables, and electrical outlets in good working order; contract a professional electrician to carry out the work if you are unsure what to do.
- Never use electrical items in the bathroom or anywhere water is present.
- Install Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) outlets.
- Use electrical outlet covers and plug protectors in homes to protect young children (who love putting fingers in outlets).
- Shelter indoors during thunderstorms, unplug electrical items, and don’t use any electrical appliances, including cell phones.
- Don’t overload power strips.
- Check your circuit breakers and fuses are appropriate for your electrical circuits.
- Never unplug an appliance while it’s operating and drawing power.
- Avoid down power lines at all costs.
- Buy only UL-listed electrical devices.
Understand the Potential of Electric Shock and Be Safe
Electric shocks can be deadly and life-changing or just an annoying static electrical shock. They happen in milliseconds, and the slightest exposure can lead to death. People must take care when around anyone suffering an electric shock, protecting themselves before assisting or calling for help.
Electrical safety at home and work is paramount. Always get a professional, accredited electrician to carry out any electrical work you are uncomfortable with, especially with complex electrical systems and electrical outlets.
Treat electricity with the respect it deserves, and you can continue to live alongside this wonderful energy source.
Brought to you by amigoenergy
All images licensed from Adobe Stock.
Featured image: