Came across this and remembered a thread about the hazards of 12 volt batteries....
http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin1999-50.html
http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin1999-50.html
low voltage Electrocution
- Thread starter evm
- Start date
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- electrocution low voltage
Tom Metzger
Sustaining Partner
Good story, but...
Good story, but... IMHO it's an urban legend.
First, the current rating of a Simpson 260 is 50 microamps, or 20,000 ohms per volt. That's all of the current you can put through the meter and keep it on scale. Zero resistance is full scale. The poor dead sailor had 180,000 ohms in series with his body. The nine volt battery in the meter didn't kill him.
Direct current (batteries) requires a higher level than alternating current to cause heart problems.
Table 1. Estimated Effects of 60 Hz AC Currents
1 mA Barely perceptible
16 mA Maximum current an average man can grasp and "let go"
20 mA Paralysis of respiratory muscles
100 mA Ventricular fibrillation threshold
2 Amps Cardiac standstill and internal organ damage
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/elecmono.html
Good story, but... IMHO it's an urban legend.
First, the current rating of a Simpson 260 is 50 microamps, or 20,000 ohms per volt. That's all of the current you can put through the meter and keep it on scale. Zero resistance is full scale. The poor dead sailor had 180,000 ohms in series with his body. The nine volt battery in the meter didn't kill him.
Direct current (batteries) requires a higher level than alternating current to cause heart problems.
Table 1. Estimated Effects of 60 Hz AC Currents
1 mA Barely perceptible
16 mA Maximum current an average man can grasp and "let go"
20 mA Paralysis of respiratory muscles
100 mA Ventricular fibrillation threshold
2 Amps Cardiac standstill and internal organ damage
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/elecmono.html