"James Horn" wrote in message
...
: While not low voltage, I remember reading in the '60s in
Scientific
: American an article which mentioned how many milliamps of
current was
: enough to be felt / dangerous / deadly, etc. It mentioned that
: substantially larger currents could sometimes even be safer as
they could
: cause involuntary muscle contractions which would interrupt the
current
: flow.
:
: The example given was of a worker at a high-rise construction
site in New
: York who was changing out of his work clothes at the end of his
shift in a
: temporary shack that also housed the site electrical power
connections.
: While doffing his trousers he accidentally backed into a high
voltage
: panel. An estimated 60 amperes passed from one buttock to the
other
: through muscles that immediately straightened, propelling him
through the
: shack and its door and into two lanes of road traffic which
immediately
: stopped.
:
: Because the current didn't pass through any vital organs, he
only
: sustained surface burns and various bruises and scrapes though
the
: electrical panel manufacturer's logo is now mirror-image
tattooed to his
: behind.
:
: I've *gotta* find the source of all this...
: Jim Horn, WB9SYN/6


60 amps though "Human flesh" will cook it well done! 15mA through
the vital organs will kill! As little as 30 microamps will cause
a severe muscle reaction and not even the sturdiest will be able
to resist movement if the current reaches 2 mA.