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Seems tech has a contract out for geeks.Let this be a warning to all of you: Don't touch the inside of your PC when you are wet. According to Shanghai Daily, a young man, simply identified as "Wu," was shocked to death by his PC.
Wu took the case off the outside of his PC to prevent it from overheating. For some unexplained reason, he was not running the air conditioner in his home, so he wasn't wearing that much clothing. At some point, his sweaty leg came in contact with his PC's innards and Wu was dealt the deadly jolt -- 380 volts right from his PC's power supply.
Let's not forget that gadgets are electric, after all, and these kinds of deaths can happen just like that, so follow the precautions you'd take with any other electricity-powered device (like don't touch it if you're wet!).
But electrocution is not the only hazard that can come with a gadget. Take a look at some of the other tech-related deaths we have covered in the past few months (surprisingly, there are a lot more than just these).
We hope each of the following examples will serve as some kind of warning for you:
- Cell Phone Battery Explodes, Kills Worker: This one happened in China, where a factory worker's cell phone in his chest pocket exploded, sending shards into his chest.
- Kid Drowns in Lake After Cell Phone Sinks: This poor kid went diving after his cell phone in a lake. He never came back up.
- Man Drowns After Phone Drops in Sewer: This one isn't good for the claustrophobes: This Michigan man went after his dropped cell phone in a sewer, got stuck face-down, and drowned with his feet sticking up street level.
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Comments
110
Subscribe to commentsthekenster35Aug 8th 2007 9:40PM
Right on Mike. Much like when I see kids in a car bouncing on mom or dad's lap. I love it!! Weed out the dumb ones!
thekenster35Aug 8th 2007 9:51PM
Right on Mike. Much like when I see kids in a car bouncing on mom or dad's lap. I love it!! Weed out the dumb ones!
Jack MeehoffAug 8th 2007 9:56PM
It's not the voltage that'll kill you, It's the amps.
NichelleAug 9th 2007 6:43PM
I agree with Fred at the very top. WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU EVEN TRY TO GO AFTER A CELL PHONE THAT'S DROPPED IN ANY KIND OF WATER (especially a "body of water") UNLESS YOU NEED A PAPER WEIGHT...
?!?! I just don't get it.
Common sense, ppl. Common sense...
XO - Tatian
www.suicidegirls.com/girls/Tatian
chrisAug 14th 2007 12:55PM
If he had just grazed it with his leg, the current would have caused his leg to jump. To sustain an injury or death, he would have had to remain in contact with the circuit. Did he fall onto the unit or sustain contact in some way that allowed the electricity to continue moving through his body? I would think casual contact would burn but not kill.
chrisAug 14th 2007 1:03PM
Phyllis says:
I have a question which might sound stupid but when you come out of the shower and towel dry or whatever, can't we get electrocuted by holding the hair dryer?
Hi Phyllis - whenever you are wet and ground yourself into a circuit, you will be electricuted. Most circuits in blow dryers, etc., have some sort of fuse or limiter that will break the circuit if there is a jump in the voltage coming through the system. However, I wouldn't chance it. Better to towel dry, get on a dry surface and then dry your hair. Not such a hairy situation then. I know, thats a shocking comment to make, eh? Hope this answers your question. - Chris
Gary GraefenAug 15th 2007 9:45AM
If you look on the back of many power supplies you will see a little switch that goes between 220 volts and 110. So it is possible to get a high voltage shock. And even 110 can kill with high enough amperage and a weak heart. I was once hit in the neck from a wire which was live falling from a ceiling. The jolt knocked me off my feet to the ground and I couldn't move for several seconds. If i had been wet I have no doubt it would have killed me.-that was 110 volt line current.
RobAug 14th 2007 9:37PM
What about the vibrator that connects to the IPod?That could be risky for women.LMAO
EChrstnsnSep 9th 2007 3:49PM
Y'all seem rampantly ignorant about how your PC power supply works...it takes the line voltage, rectifies it (generally to around 350-400V), (it's called an off-line switcher) and then chops it at high frequency to make lots of current at low voltage.
Taking the cover off of your PC isn't sufficient to expose the internals of the power supply -- but it does have vent holes and a barefoot or bare-handed (and therefore grounded) person could put a drop of sweat through one of those and cross the insulation barrier, especially if the containing metal box was not grounded as it is supposed to be through the power plug.
RonNov 24th 2007 1:27PM
Josh Tyler says:
I dunno this doesnt sound right. I have been in the IT field for 15 years and only low voltage comes out the secondary side of the power supply. 120v AC going in and low volatage coming out?
Not all nations use the same power as the US. I understand that England uses 220volts at 50 HZ as their normal power supply thus American devices will not work without adapters.