How Does Electricity Affect Our Bodies?
About 1,000 Americans die and another 30,000 are hurt each year from electrical injuries.
While many of these occur in the workplace, electrical burns can happen at home, too.
Verywell / Laura Porter
Most home electrical injuries and burns happen in children and teens.
The human body naturally creates its own form of electricity to transport nerve signals from cell to cell.
Thebodys own electrical currentsare created by the charges of the elements in it, such as potassium and calcium.
When outside electrical currents are introduced to your body, they interrupt the natural balance.
Symptoms
You are at risk of injury every time you come into contact with electricity.
Usually, the current will leave at a grounding point, often on the feet.
This can include your nervous system and heart.
Is It Safe to Help?
Your first instinct may be to run and help someone who has just been electrocuted, but DONT.
This will not stop the flow of electricity that is already happening, but it will prevent more damage.
Once the current is stopped, it is still not safe to touch the injured person.
You must separate them from the electric source with something that cant conduct electricity to you.
This might be something like a rug or a rubber mat.
Never use metal or anything wet.
Types
There are four main types of electrical injuries that can cause burns.
Superficial and partial-thickness or second-degree burns are considered minor burns, while full-thickness or third-degree burns are major injuries.
Superficial
Superficial burns are minor burns that affect only the top layer of your skin.
These burns are sometimes called third-degree burns and affect deep layers of tissue.
The tissue in this area usually becomes numb after the injury.
Treatment
How burns are treateddepends on the punch in of burn and how much damage was caused.
Mild Burns
Minor or mild burns can usually be treated withcomfort measures and time.
Below are some first aid techniques to treat minor burns like superficial or small second-degree burns.
Severe Burns
Major burns or more extensive minor burns usually require more formalmedical treatment.
This isnt just limited to fat or muscle tissues either.
Electrical currents can severely damage nerve fibers and heart function.
They will review your medical history, what caused the burn, and your general health before the injury.
Additional tests and blood work may be required to gauge the full extent of your injury.
Long-term effects of electrical injuries can also cause depression and a post-traumatic stress response known aspost electric shock syndrome.
Talk to your doctor about any ongoing symptoms after an electrical injury.
Damage from electrical currents can reach many parts of the body.
For this reason, you may want to visit a healthcare provider after receiving an electrical burn or injury.
Electric burns are a common home injury that can be prevented by taking basic safety measures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes.
Electric currents can pass through water and into your body.
You may not have visible burns, but you could still be injured by electric currents in the water.
The feeling of an electric current passing through you depends on the strength of the current itself.
Electrical injuries dont just cause damage to the skin.
you might experience a host of problems impacting your nervous system and other body systems.
A traumatic response to an electrical injury may be called post-electric shock syndrome.
An electric current can cause you injury without creating a visible burn.
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