WC> I can make a case for a the hazards of a few picoamperes
WC> as there's a case where a pacemaker patient was placed on a grounded
WC> hospital bed and the leakage current from that device offed him.

 You've got me baffled here.

 The pacemaker wouldn't know nor care if the
patient were grounded or not. Or, are you
talking about a pacer on a defibrillator?
Even then, ground should not matter.

 (Hospital beds are always grounded.)

 As far as picoamperes, we allow a maximum
of 300 microamperes of leakage on devices
used in surgery. This is considered safe.
The law allows 500 microamperes. Even the
heart/lung machine I work on allows up to
20 microamperes of leakage.

 I must be missing something.

MR> In the shock effects literature it can be found that
MR> heart rhythm problems occur within a narrow current range of a few
MR> milliamperes. Less than this range there is no effect, higher and fles
MR> burns result but the heart survives.

WC> Genrally the lethal level is around 17 -20 MA. but than there's
WC> that matter of skin resistence again.

 Typically, 10 ma is considered lethal.

 Skin resistance is taken into consideration
by stating the current, as primarily that
resistance will determine the amount of
current that will flow.

WC> Now if you pierce the skin with a charged line that's another matter
WC> entirely however even then AC is more dangerous than DC but you will
WC> feel a jolt.

 Regardless how the current gets there, it is
the amount of current that is important. Lower
resistance ("if you pierce the skin") will
allow more current to flow, even with lower
voltages. The inside of the body is relatively
low resistance (<50 ê).

 Once you reach about 10 ma, that current will
"overpower" the current running your heart and
will "control" the heart. Different people are
different, but 10 ma is typical. AC or DC, it
will not allow the heart to beat.

 Perhaps a lower AC voltage would "interfere"
with the heart before the same level of DC
would, but I've never heard of it. I'll ask
the other guys at work tomorrow, to be sure.

 TTYL.

 Robert

 * SLMR 2.1a * The repairman never saw one like this before

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