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I was reading this question: How much voltage is "dangerous"? and it seems to me that in the right conditions, connecting yourself to a live outlet is perfectly okay.

I am in the United States, 120v hot lines @ 60Hz. Let's say the following are using your right hand/arm. So no circuit completed through the heart.

If I stuck a fork in the "hot" line an outlet, and touched it with a finger, R of body is about 40k ohms, so 120/40000=3mA. I would barely feel this.

Even if I grabbed the fork, R of body is about 15k ohms, so 120/15000=8mA. This would hurt just a bit!

Is my math here correct? Is this activity actually safe? The linked question says the induced currents would be fine.

I know there are other circumstances that change the body's resistance, but I am just considering the circumstances mentioned above.

Hurricane Development
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    Looks like your mind closes down on that fork fallacy with the sudden snap and tenacious grip of a steel trap! – jonk Jul 29 '18 at 05:42
  • In the right conditions, connecting yourself to a live outlet is perfectly safe. Yes. For example, if you are wearing a metal suit, including metal gloves with which you grasp the fork, or if you are completely clothed in high-voltage insulating clothing, and therefore absolutely sure not to complete any circuit. Otherwise, I advise against it. – user57037 Jul 29 '18 at 06:06
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    Is this your entry form for a Darwin Award? Really, don’t touch any circuit which has more than 3v.... – Solar Mike Jul 29 '18 at 06:57
  • In my country it is a legal requirement that forks are at least 25mm wide across the tines, so that they cannot be inserted into sockets. In France where they have dangerously small forks for extracting snails, I believe the EU requires a plastic handle with a 600V rating. – Henry Crun Jul 29 '18 at 08:07
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    Is running across a busy road blindfolded a dangerous act? – Andy aka Jul 29 '18 at 10:14
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    Sure it's safe, use a plastic fork! – Jasen Слава Україні Jul 29 '18 at 10:44
  • It is only safe if you define dying as safe. – Russell McMahon Jul 29 '18 at 13:46
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    Death from 12V DC (across the chest) has happened. 50VDC hand to hand is usually safeish but death could happen. 110 VAC mains will happily kill you, if allowed. – Russell McMahon Jul 29 '18 at 13:48
  • @mkeith I get what your saying, but this is not what I was asking. I understand that creating a faraday cage will keep you safe. But according to the math, the conditions I mentioned above would be safe. Why am I incorrect? – Hurricane Development Jul 30 '18 at 01:14
  • @HurricaneDevelopment, your question has already been answered. Under some circumstances it may be safe. But you generally will not be able to determine at the time you do it whether those conditions are currently in effect. This makes it actually unsafe at any time. – user57037 Jul 30 '18 at 02:46
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    FYI: UL considers 1 mA of current through the skin as moderately 'painful'. Medical grade equipment is limited to 50 uA of leakage current. –  Aug 01 '18 at 00:03

1 Answers1

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No, you can absolutely be seriously injured, or killed under the right (or wrong) circumstances.

Also,

The actual resistance of the body varies depending upon the points of contact and the skin condition (moist or dry). Between the ears, for example, the internal resistance (less the skin resistance) is only 100 ohms, while from hand to foot is closer to 500 ohms. The skin resistance may vary from 1000 ohms for wet skin to over 500,000 ohms for dry skin.

Reference: https://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~p616/safety/fatal_current.html

Blair Fonville
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