Static electricity wasn’t the cause of the deaths. But that’s not to say that this form of electricity doesn’t have its own dangers.
If you’ve shuffled your feet along a shaggy carpet and then touched a metal doorknob, yo probably experienced a shock. That’s static electricity, which builds up on a person and discharges when the circuit is completed by touching something that can conduct, transmitting the built-up energy.
This is normally a relatively harmless incident -- the shock is minor and soon forgotten by the recipient. But that’s under normal conditions. Under severe circumstances, more than 15,000-volt exchanges have been recorded, and shocks of 5,000 volts are not uncommon. Fortunately, you won’t feel anything from 2,000 volts to 4,000 volts.
Disaster Can Strike
But if there are combustible or flammable substances nearby, the results can be catastrophic. A spark from a human to these sources can result in an explosion that causes serious damage.
In China, a man who was getting dressed experienced terrible consequences, thanks to static electricity. Wen Chung was putting on his clothes for the day, building up static electricity by rubbing his dry skin along the clothes. Unfortunately for Chung, there was a leaky gas pipe nearby, and a spark of electricity hit the line. The result was a gas explosion that resulted in bad burns to his face, neck and hands. A nephew reported the blast was so strong that its impact was felt in a 300-meter radius.
Then there’s the case of a luckless Pennsylvania man. L. David Byers was filling his car with gas when a spark caused an explosion. He died from inhaling superheated gasses, the result of static electricity jumping from him to the flammable solutions.
Static electricity can damage electronic devices if a charge interferes with their operation, causing untold damage to personal property. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration reports that even a minor spark from a finger can damage components to the point where they are no longer useful. That’s why those handling those items must wear grounding straps, which dissipate static charges from your body before they can cause damage.
How the Science Works
All electrical charges in creation are carried by electrons and protons, and the latter are components of every atom. The static electricity is caused by an imbalance of positive and negative charges in objects.
The premise works like this: When two objects are rubbed together, one collects electrons and becomes negatively charged, while the other releases electrons and becomes positively charged. When the items are separated, a charge imbalance occurs. Like charges repel each other, and when you touch something that’s grounded and a conductor of electricity, like a metal doorknob, a sudden discharge of the built-up electricity occurs. This can create a visual and audible spark between your finger and the object you’ve touched.
Static buildup can even occur when liquids move through a pipe or hose. If the fluid is flammable, as with gasoline, then an explosion may occur. That’s why when fueling your car, it’s important to touch a metal part of the car before fueling to dissipate any static buildup. The problem is so acute that the National Transportation and Safety Board has specific guidelines for large fuel tanks to prevent static buildup and avoid huge explosions.
Lightning is a form of static electricity. When Benjamin Franklin did his famous kite experiment, he attached a key to the string. During a thunderstorm, the key conducted the charge from the thunderclouds, sparking when Franklin touched it. By the way, the kite was not struck by lightning, as is popularly believed.
Franklin’s experiment and subsequent reporting were keys to understanding electricity. He came up with the terms "positive" and "negative" but did not create the electron theory, which arrived much later after his experiments.
Avoiding Static Shock
While the shocks from static aren’t fatal or damaging unless they contact sensitive electronics or flammable materials, receiving the shocks is annoying at best. So here are a few things that can be done to minimize your shock potential.
1) Keep the air humid – Dry air helps create ideal conditions for static electricity buildup. Turn up the humidifier in your home to dampen the air and lessen the potential conductivity in your home or office. Humidity levels of 40 percent to 50 percent generally will help keep energy levels down.
2) Avoid static cling – In the dryer, your clothes can acquire quite a buildup of electrons as they dry and toss and turn. There are two tricks – either rub a metal wire hanger across your clothes to remove the static or toss a damp (not sopping wet, but damp) cloth into the dryer during the last 20 minutes or your cycle. This will humidify the air and prevent it from becoming too dry and propagating static electricity.
3) Wear special shoes – Electronics industry workers have specially designed dissipative shoes (termed ESD) that can reduce static buildup. You also can walk barefoot.
4) Change your flooring – You can treat some floors with static dissipative treatments but will have to renew the treatment from time to time so it doesn’t wear out. You also can install cement or wood floors. With wood, though, be careful not to varnish, which can cause static buildups.
Static shocks are annoying, but they can be avoided or minimized with just a few precautions. Keep your skin moisturized, wear natural fibers rather than synthetics, and keep your house humidity at a good level, and you shouldn’t have any severe problems.