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water is anywhere from 50 to 1,000
ne year ago, over Fourth how it happens, how to stop it from times more conductive than fresh
of July weekend, Alexandra happening, and what to do — and not to water. The conductivity of the human
Anderson, 13, and her brother do — if they ever have to help an ESD body when wet lies between the two,
Brayden Anderson, 8, were swim- victim. but is much closer to saltwater than
ming near a private dock in the Lake fresh. In saltwater, the human body
of the Ozarks in Missouri when they Fresh water + Alternating only slows electricity down, so most
started to scream. Their parents went current = Danger of it will go around a swimmer on its
to their aid, but by the time the siblings Kevin Ritz lost his son Lucas to ESD way back to ground unless the swim-
were pulled from the lake, they were in 1999, and he shared his story with mer grabs hold of something — like a
unresponsive. Both children were pro- Seaworthy in “A Preventable Dockside propeller or a swim ladder — that’s elec-
nounced dead after being transported Tragedy” in October of 2009. Since his trified. In fresh water, the current gets
to a nearby hospital. About two hours son’s death, Ritz has become a tireless “stuck” trying to return to its source
later, Noah Winstead, a 10-year-old boy, investigator, educator, and campaigner and generates voltage gradients that
died in a similar manner at Cherokee dedicated to preventing similar trag- will take a shortcut through the human
Lake, near Knoxville, Tennessee. Ac- edies. “ESD happens in fresh water body. A voltage gradient of just 2 volts
cording to local press reports, seven where minute amounts of alternating AC per foot in fresh water can deliver
other swimmers were injured near current are present,” Ritz said. sufficient current to kill a swimmer who
where Noah died. These were not What does “minute” mean exactly? bridges it. Many areas on watersheds
drowning victims. In all of these cases, Lethal amounts are measured in mil- and rivers may be salty, brackish, or
120-volt AC (alternating current) liamps, or thousandths of an amp. fresh depending upon rainfall or tidal
leakage from nearby boats or docks When flowing directly through the movements. If you boat in these areas,
electrocuted or incapacitated swim- human body, these tiny amounts of treat the water as if it were fresh just to
mers in fresh water. This little-known current interfere with the even smaller be on the safe side.
and often-unidentified killer is called electrical potentials used by our nerves Why alternating current and not
Electric Shock Drowning, or ESD, and and muscles. Captain David Rifkin direct current (DC)? The cycling nature
these deaths and injuries were entirely and James Shafer conducted exten- of alternating current disrupts the tiny
preventable. In just four months last sive testing of all aspects of ESD for a electrical signals used by our nerves
summer, there were seven confirmed Coast Guard study in 2008, including and muscles far more than the straight
ESD deaths and at least that many exposing themselves to low-level cur- flow of electrons in direct current. “It
near misses; in all likelihood, dozens rents in fresh water. “Anything above would require about 6 to 8 volts DC
more incidents went undetected. Every 3 milliamps (mA) can be very painful,” per foot to be dangerous,” Rifkin said,
boater and every adult who swims in Rifkin said. “If you had even 6 mA go- or three to four times as much voltage
a freshwater lake needs to understand ing through your body, you would be gradient as with AC. “Regardless of the
type of voltage, the larger the voltage,
Current the larger the gradient over the same
Level Probable Effect On Human Body
distance.” There have been no recorded
1 mA Perception level. Slight tingling sensation. Still dangerous under certain conditions. ESD fatalities from 12-volt DC even
5 mA Slight shock felt; not painful but disturbing. Average individual can let go. How- in fresh water because there is less
ever, strong involuntary reactions to shocks in this range may lead to injuries. chance of the higher voltage gradient
6-16 mA Painful shock, begin to lose muscular control. Commonly referred to as the freez- necessary developing with DC’s lower
ing current or let-go range. voltages.
17-99 mA Extreme pain, respiratory arrest, severe muscular contractions . Individual cannot How does that electricity get into
let go of an electrified object. Death is possible.
the water in the first place? In a prop-
Source: OSHA
100- Ventricular fibrillation (uneven, uncoordinated pumping of heart). Muscular erly functioning electrical system, all of
2,000 mA contraction and nerve damage begin to occur. Death is likely.
the 120-volt AC current that goes into
2,000+ mA Cardiac arrest, internal organ damage, and severe burns. Death is probable.
the boat through the shore power cord
Finding Out If Your Boat ing some current into the water.
Is Leaking Current Unfortunately, that’s not quite all
Figuring out if your boat has a there is to it. Many of the most danger-
problem requires two special- ous AC loads on a boat, like air condi-
ized tools — a basic circuit tes- tioning and refrigeration, are cycling
For stray AC to get into the water, there ter and a clamp meter — that loads. A fault in one of these will only
must be an electrical fault and a fault in together cost about $150. If you show up if that equipment is running
the safety ground. keep your boat in a freshwater when you clamp the cord. To be sure
returns to its source — the transformer marina, the marina operator should your boat is not leaking AC into the
ashore or on the dock where it originat- have both and be using them to check water, you must run all your AC loads
ed. For any of that current to wind up in the boats on their docks. while clamping the cord and look for
the water, three things have to occur. To determine if your boat is leak- any reading but zero. If you find a prob-
• Electrical fault. Somewhere current ing AC, start by checking the dock lem, unplug your boat and don’t plug
must be escaping from the system wiring. Plug the circuit tester into the it in again until you get an electrician
and trying to find another path back shore power cord receptacle you use on trained to ABYC standards to figure out
to its source ashore. your pedestal. The lights on the circuit what is wrong and fix it.
• AC safety ground fault. The AC tester will tell you whether or not the
grounding system must be compro- shore power system is functioning as Eliminating Current Leakage
mised so that stray current cannot it should. There are situations where That your boat is not leaking AC into the
easily return to ground through the those lights can mislead you, but as a water right now is no guarantee that it
ground safety wire. Any stray electric- first approximation, assume all is well never will. Electrical faults and ground
ity then has only one path back to its if the circuit tester says it is. If you find faults develop in the marine environ-
source — through the water. any problems, alert your marina man- ment all the time. There are two ways to
• No ground fault protection. Any ager or call an electrician certified to eliminate the risk altogether.
current returning to its source ABYC (Amerian Boat and Yacht Coun- The first — and best — alternative is to
through the water will create a slight cil) standards. completely isolate the AC shore power
but detectable difference between the Once you have established that the system from the AC system on the boat.
amount of current traveling to the dock’s electrical system is sound, take Then any stray AC on the boat will re-
boat and returning from it through the clamp meter and put it around your turn to its source on the boat and will not
the shore power cables. Ground Fault shore power cord. Most electricians use enter the water. An isolation transformer
Protection (GFP) devices, like Ground a clamp meter to measure the current transfers electricity from the shore to the
Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) flowing through the neutral, hot, and boat and back again using the magnetic
required in bathrooms ashore, are de- ground wires separately, but we are field generated by the electrical current
signed to detect differences measured interested in whether or not all of the rather than through shore wires physi-
in milliamps and to shut down the current entering the boat is leaving it. cally touching the boat’s wires. If you
electricity within a fraction of a sec- If that is the case, the current passing want to be absolutely certain your boat
ond. If the circuit does not have one, through all of the wires will sum to zero, cannot leak alternat-
then electricity will continue to flow and that’s what the meter will show ing current into the
into the water. when the clamp is put around the entire water, install an isola-
If all of these conditions exist, then shore power cord. If the clamp meter tion transformer.
some or all of the boat’s underwater shows anything but zero, either some of The second alterna-
metals, such as the propeller, stern the current going to your boat is enter- tive is to install ground
drive, or through-hull fittings, will be ing the water, or current leaking from
Courtesy David Rifkin
energized, and electricity will radiate the dock or another boat is returning to
out from these fittings into the water. If its source ashore through the metal fit-
the boat is in saltwater, the current will tings on your boat. To determine which,
dissipate without doing damage un- turn off the power at the pedestal. If
less a diver grabs hold of the energized the clamp meter continues to show the
metal. In fresh water, 120-volt AC will same reading it did when the pedestal Top: An inexpensive circuit tester.
set up a dangerous voltage gradient was on, the current is coming from Bottom: This clamp meter shows a
that will pass through any swimmer somewhere else. If any or all of the cur- 7-amp difference between the current
who bridges it. rent goes away, then your boat is leak- going into the boat and coming out.