Myth Busters

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physis

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Well, it must be true. I just watched the Myth Busters (on whatever cable channel it is) confirm that one may actually be electrocuted to death in a bath tub.
 
Re: Myth Busters

physis

You don't have to describe the poor saps demise as electrocuted to death, by definition electrocuted means someone dies. I learned this while offering expert witness testimony when I was corrected by a lawyer.
Whether it's by being tossed your electric guitar, as the old song goes, or touching the non-gfci shower fixture as discussed recently, you are toast.
 
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I remember reading somewhere that less then 1% of electrocutions have occured while in a bathtub, shower, pool, or spa.
 
Re: Myth Busters

Bryan and George
You both might be right, I don't know. I read somewhere that more people are electrocuted by 120/240 than all other voltages combined.

What I can say is, "If you are electrocuted you are dead".

Jim T.
 
Re: Myth Busters

Yeah Bob, I think that's 45?.

Jtester, that's what my understanding used to be. Then I went to work for a company and found out the guy I replaced "electrocuted" somebody. He was still in the hospital when the story was told to me. I never bothered to look it up. Now I just figure there are two ways electrocuted might be interpreted. Imagine the benifits for a lawyer?

And I thought it sounded funny.

The less than 1% thing is great for engineering and may not be all that bad. But I think bath tubs are up there with the highest sourse of being electrocuted to death.

And I want to gfi's as far as the eye can see. :p
 
Re: Myth Busters

I think they had the wrong currents for a lethal shock. I think they said about 50 milliamps could be fatal (its been a couple of weeks since I've seen this). I always thought 10 milliamps was fatal. And if they were measuring "at" the heart, I think microamps could be fatal.

Steve

[ December 06, 2004, 09:41 AM: Message edited by: steve66 ]
 
Re: Myth Busters

I thought it was around twenty or thirty or even more but it varies quite a bit depending on the individual and other things. The narration mentioned thirty as five or six times lethal too.
 
Re: Myth Busters

I believe I read in Mike Holt's grounding and bonding workbook that ventricular fibrillation will begin around 50mA for .2 seconds for females and around 75mA for .5 seconds for males both at as little as 30V.
 
Re: Myth Busters

The voltage is important. Laymen and electricians often have trouble understanding why if it's current that kills a person the voltage makes a difference. When the subject comes up I always have to do a quick explanation of I=V/R.
 
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