title: Evaluation of interactions of electric fields due to electrostatic discharge with human tissue.
abstract: Electrostatic discharges (ESDs) produce in the human tissue very strong electric fields of short duration. Possible biophysical interactions are evaluated by comparing the fields in subcutaneous fat/skin to the thresholds for peripheral nerve stimulation, and by computations of membrane potential and electric fields in cytoplasm of a typical cell in bone marrow. It is found that a 4-A peak ESD event is capable of stimulation of nerves located in subcutaneous fat of the lower arm of the hand eliciting a spark, with tens of kV/m and pulse duration of approximately 80 ns. For the same ESD event, the transmembrane potential (TMP) reaches 32 mV with a pulse duration of approximately 200 ns (half-width duration). The electric field in the cytoplasm of a bone marrow cell changes from about 8.8 kV/m to--2 kV/m in about 200 ns.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 3P6, Canada.
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Dawson
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Stuchly
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kavet
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D006801:Humans; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D008954:Models, Biological; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011874:Radiometry / Q000379:methods; D055672:Static Electricity