title: Electric fence standards comport with human data and AC limits.
abstract: The ubiquitous electric fence is essential to modern agriculture and has saved lives by reducing the number of livestock automobile collisions. Modern safety standards such as IEC 60335-2-76 and UL 69 have played a role in this positive result. However, these standards are essentially based on energy and power (RMS current), which have limited direct relationship to cardiac effects. We compared these standards to bioelectrically more relevant units of charge and average current in view of recent work on VF (ventricular fibrillation) induction and to existing IEC AC current limits.
  
  
  
  There are 3 limits for normal (low) pulsing rate: IEC energy limit, IEC current limit, and UL current limit. We
  then calculated the delivered charge allowed for each pulse duration for these limits and then compared them to a charge-based safety model derived from published human ventricular-fibrillation induction data. Both the IEC and UL also allow for rapid pulsing for up to 3 minutes. We calculated maximum outputs for various pulse durations assuming pulsing at 10, 20, and 30 pulses per second. These were then compared to standard utility power safety (AC) limits via the conversion factor of 7.4 to convert average current to RMS current for VF risk. The outputs of TASER electrical weapons (typically < 100 μC and ~100 μs duration) were also compared.
  
  
  
  The IEC and UL electric fence energizer normal rate standards are conservative in comparison with actual human laboratory experiments. The IEC and UL electric fence energizer rapid-pulsing standards are consistent with accepted IEC AC current limits for commercially used pulse durations.
authors.forename: Mark W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Kroll
authors.forename: Peter E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Perkins
authors.forename: Dorin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Panescu
mesh_terms: D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac; D004554:Electric Countershock; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004560:Electricity; D006321:Heart; D006801:Humans; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation