Electrocuted by dropping phone in bath while charging

[mikeprice]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/girl-mobile-phone-bath-electrocution-yulia-vysotskaya-russia-moscow-a8829916.html

 

Ok - just wondering - I would have thought that the current etc coming from the charger would be far to low too electrocute someone - but I could be wrong

 

It could be dangerous if the cable is short or placed so that the weight of the phone drags the plug - and hence access to main electric - into the bath but there is no mention of this

 

any opinions from people who know better than me (a wide field there!!)

[JJonas]

Its not the voltage, it is the current that kills.

 

See https://www.scienceabc.com/humans/how-many-volts-amps-kill-you-human.html

 

and

 

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

Edited March 19, 2019 by JJonas

[synaesthesia]

2a; not a chance. The only thing dying is the phone and that's not a given. I'd suspect it'd be more to do with the criminal/mobster/gangster that dropped the toaster in.

[TLARWise]

It says they believe she died by drowning, the electrocution didn't kill her, just made her lose consciousness.

[FishCustard]

If it's a crappily made charger with improper separation between the high voltage and low voltage sides of the transformer you can get the LV side live at mains voltage.

 

The low voltage (12V 2A probably?) current wouldn't have killed. I've licked those to check they're working before...

[synaesthesia]

The only way that's likely is if the charger was poorly made (although that itself is highly possible with the amount of cheap chinese crap available) or there was more involved, like another similar case where the phone & cable didn't cause the problem, just the kid touching the frayed mains extension cable.

Still, darwin smiles upon them.

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

If it's a crappily made charger with improper separation between the high voltage and low voltage sides of the transformer you can get the LV side live at mains voltage.

 

jinx?

[Pottsey]

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/girl-mobile-phone-bath-electrocution-yulia-vysotskaya-russia-moscow-a8829916.html

 

Ok - just wondering - I would have thought that the current etc coming from the charger would be far to low too electrocute someone - but I could be wrong

 

It could be dangerous if the cable is short or placed so that the weight of the phone drags the plug - and hence access to main electric - into the bath but there is no mention of this

 

any opinions from people who know better than me (a wide field there!!)

 

Its Russia which means its anyone guess how the mains was wired up, what type of charger was used and chances are the mains would be wired up in a way that wouldn't pass UK safety standards.

[synaesthesia]

Ah, of course. So the neutral would come from the barrel of a live & loaded AK47, the live from Putin's sock drawer and the only earth they know is Mother Russia itself. Safety is the middle name... of someone else.

[unixman_again]

The Mythbusters tested the classic toaster in the bath, which will kill the bather. 6mA across the heart is enough to kill you.

[Andrew_C]

If you drop the WHOLE CHARGER in, then yes. If you drop a charging phone in - no.

[mikeprice]

Thanks all

 

SO - a summary of the collected wisdom

 

1) No - under normal circumstances

2) yes - if the charger dropped in as well

3) also yes if the charger remained out of the bath but was a rubbish cheapo one with dodgy separation between Lv and HV

4) also yes if someone also dropped a toaster in and/or shot her with an AK47 - although I'm not sure how that got in here

5) Putin's sock drawer may have been involved but I got a bit lost at that point

[hardtailstar]

Its Russia which means its anyone guess how the mains was wired up, what type of charger was used and chances are the mains would be wired up in a way that wouldn't pass UK safety standards.

 

And/or did they have an extension lead from another room balanced on the bath.

[synaesthesia]

This is an interesting and timely video from our favourite man from Man

 

 

NSFW for language, unsurprisingly.

[SpuffMonkey]

I thought the same - there's no way that a phone charge would do that. Especially if the bath was installed properly with a grounding tag.

[jthompson]

The article first suggests she was electrocuted (death by electric shock) buy then goes on to say that she drowned. Perhaps she had an electric shock which caused her to slip and bang her head.

[Davit2005]

2a; not a chance. The only thing dying is the phone and that's not a given. I'd suspect it'd be more to do with the criminal/mobster/gangster that dropped the toaster in.

 

Wasn't the toaster kill done to a baddie in GoldFinger

[Andrew_C]

And/or did they have an extension lead from another room balanced on the bath.

In god-benighted countries you are allowed to have sockets in bathrooms.

[crc-ict]

This is an interesting and timely video from our favourite man from Man

 

 

NSFW for language, unsurprisingly.

 

Good to see another fan of Clive here!

[woodham]

I thought the same - there's no way that a phone charge would do that. Especially if the bath was installed properly with a grounding tag.

 

 

baths don't need and shouldn't be grounded/bonded (well at least that's what the regs say unless you work for British gas then every bit of metal/pipe you can see/reach must have a bonding tag on it and some 10mm single connected ) I like it when people try and bond fiberglass baths

[PyROm]

Another interesting Clive video showing a solar lantern with usb charger, which has the usb connector directly connected to mains.