Current through the body, not voltage, is the cause of an
electrical shock. When a point on the body comes in
contact with a voltage and another point comes in
contact with different voltage, there will be a current
through the body from one point to the other. The
severity of the resulting electrical shock depends on the
amount of voltage and the path that the current takes
through the body (Bridges 2002). To measure the effects
of current on the human body, the amount of current
should be calculated. This is dependent on the potential
difference, the impedance driving the potential difference
and the resistance within the body between the
points of contact (Niple et al. 2004). The human body
has resistance that depends on many factors, including
body mass, skin moisture and points of contact of the
body with a voltage potential. The human body does not
sense currents less than a few milliamperes (Gandhi
2002). However, about hundred milliamperes of current
will cause fatal damage; especially if it is connected for
more than several seconds (Bridges 2002).