Re: question on safety

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Aaron Banerjee <spam_proof@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

I used to deal with electrocutions.  I don't have my chart with me, but
from my memory, depending on the person, situation, etc, 30 ma is above
the let-go current.  My chart assumes 60hz, which really isn't the same as
high frequency, but I suppose it would give you some ideas for what could
happen to you (e.g. not being able to let go, fibrillation within "x"
seconds, etc) for touching the primary circuit.

As for possibly being fatal, sure.  That most certainly doesn't mean that
just because you touch one you'll die.  The actual chances are really
quite low, but don't make a habit of it.

To answer your question, no, there isn't an easy answer.  It's easier to
set a standard.  For example, one standard for GFCI (ground fault circuit
interruptors) is that they must trip between 4 and 6 milliamperes.  Lots
of people have survived being shocked by more than 6 milliamps, but it's a
threshold one can measure.
            - Aaron

On Thu, 13 Apr 2006, Tesla list wrote:

> Original poster: "Michael Ong" <omenowner725@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> hello, today i was presenting my tesla coil for my school project,
> and i got asked if it was fatal to touch the spark gap or charged
> caps. I honestly didn't know the answer to this question and was
> wondering if  anyone could answer it for me. my coil runs at 8kv 30ma
> with a cap size of .01uf and i have always just assumed it was unsafe
> to touch and in any case will give you a burn, who cares if it will
> kill you. the chart on my class room says that 30ma is close to
> "possibly" fatal, but it seems like there are a lot of factors like
> the voltage, the path it takes through your body, your body
> resistance at the time, and the climate conditions that plan key
> roles. anyways i was wondering if there was an easy answer to this
> question of how many amps/volts will kill you or if there are just
> too many factors that are undetermined to correctly give an answer.
> thanks again for the help
> -Michael
>
>