No matter what, if either AC or DC comes in contact with the human body, it can be hazardous.

The actual effect varies, though, as it depends upon several different factors, including the
amount of current administered, duration of which it was in contact with the body, pathway of
the current, voltage applied, and impedance of the body itself.

All of that being said, if it comes down to one or the other, AC can generally be viewed as the
more dangerous of the two currents — here’s why:

1) To start off, in order for both currents to have the same effect on the human body, the
magnitude of DC flow of constant strength needs to be two to four times great than AC; that is,
more DC current is needed to induce the same amount of physical damage as AC current. This is
because the effect of the currents on the body is a direct result of the excitatory actions of its
magnitude — specifically, the actual making and breaking of the current itself. Such excitatory
actions include nerve / muscle stimulation, induction of cardiac atrial or ventricular fibrillation,
and more.

For DC to produce the same effect as AC on the human body, its flow of constant strength must
be two to four times that being administered by the AC.

2) When death by electric shock occurs, it’s typically due to ventricular fibrillation, and the
likelihood of a human suffering this sort of life-ending injury is much higher when coming in
contact with an AC than a DC due to the fact that the human body’s threshold of DC-caused
ventricular fibrillation is several times higher than for AC.

3) Generally speaking, the human body’s impedance is higher for DC, and it only decreases
when the frequency increase. As such, the severity of electric shock is less when in contact with
DC than it is with AC.

4) It’s easier to let go / remove contact with “live” parts in the case of DC than AC. This runs
counter to the popular belief that because the alternating cycles of an AC current pass through
zero, the individual is afforded enough time to pull their limb / body away from the part itself,
whereas with the constant flow of the DC current, there is no frequency oscillations that afford
the brief moment for the person to pull their body away. The basis for this argument can be
sourced in the “let-go” experiment, which was reported in the same aforementioned IEC
publication 60479. In it, the lowest level of current that could safely pass through a human body
was administered through an electrode held in a test person’s hand; it was enough current to
make the person unable to open his hand and drop the electrode.

Without getting into all of the details of the actual experiment, the conclusion was that the test
subjects found it easier to release the electrode when DC was administered rather than AC.

Now, while it can be surmised that AC is more dangerous than DC, the safest solution is to avoid
contact with any and all high-voltage electrical conductors, no matter the type of electrical
 current. As mentioned at the beginning of the article, any contact with an electrical current can
be hazardous.

 An AC current is alternating in nature and follows a sine curve. It is continuously changing
direction and passing through zero to a maximum positive value and then to a maximum
negative value. The voltage of an AC current is a RMS or root mean square value, and the peak
or maximum value is 1.4 times the RMS value. It means that a 220 V AC supply is going to 308
Volts before coming down to zero and changing direction.
DC current is direct current and does not change in magnitude, though it can be negative or
positive depending on the direction of the circuit. DC current is ideal for electronic circuits
whereas AC is ideal for electrical installation and motors, etc.

 Effects of an AC or DC Currents on the Human Body

The three basic factors that determine what kind of shock you experience are the amplitude of
the current, the duration of the current passing through the body, and the frequency.
Direct Currents actually have zero frequency, as the current is constant. However, there are
physiological effects during electrocution no matter what type of current.
The factor deciding the effects of the AC and DC current is the path the current takes through the
body. If it is from the hand to the foot, it does not pass through the heart, and then the effects are
not so lethal.
However DC current will make a single continuous contraction of the muscles compared to AC
current, which will make a series of contractions depending on the frequency it is supplied at. In
terms of fatalities, both kill but more milliamps are required of DC current than AC current at the
same voltage.
If the current takes the path from hand to hand thus passing through the heart it can result in
fibrillation of the heart. Fibrillation is a condition when all the heart muscles start moving
independently in a disorganized manner rather than in a state of coordination. It affects the
ability of the heart to pump blood, resulting in brain damage and eventual cardiac arrest.
Either AC or DC currents can cause fibrillation of the heart at high enough levels. This typically
takes place at 30 mA of AC (rms, 60 Hz) or 300 – 500 mA of DC.
You may not realize it or MAY never have given it a second thought, but if you live in a
large metropolitan area, alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) energy systems
are all around you. Although I have studied these two systems for years, I didn’t always
know about it. I was caught completely unaware and surrounded by an invisible, lethal
hazard. This is my near miss story and the lessons learned.
In the summer of 2011, Seattle (WA) Fire Department Engine Company 25 responded to a
report of “wires down” at Broadway and Madison Street, a busy intersection in Seattle’s
Capitol Hill neighborhood. It is a wide multilane intersection of five streets with electrical
catenary wires for streetcars and electric buses traveling north/south and east/west. More
than a thousand pounds of steel wire and hardware keep the system suspended under
tension and deliver the current to the electric buses and streetcars through this intersection
(photo 1, 2).
Normally, a “wires down” call is for a single line on the ground; but this time, we arrived
to find the entire overhead electrical catenary system ripped from its support lines and
lying in a heap in the middle of the intersection. The elevated bed of a dump truck
traveling through the intersection had pulled it all down. On arrival, I had assumed that the
lines were de-energized because of ground contact, but we exercised extreme caution on
approach, just in case.
Moments later, a King County Metro Transit (Metro) supervisor arrived on scene and
announced, “I’ll get this de-energized immediately.” I thought, “You’ve got to be kidding
me! These are energized right now?!” What I didn’t understand at the time was that these
lines provided direct current (DC) to the Metro electric buses and were not alternating
current (AC) lines similar to other down wire calls to which I had previously responded.

The alternating or back-and-forth movement of the electrons creates a three-dimensional

collapsing sine wave, which produces an electromagnetic field that an AC voltage detector
can sense. However, because of its unidirectional electron movement, DC does not have
this energy field. (Figure courtesy of Chris Greene.)
That the unshielded, 700-volt (V) DC lines remained energized despite clearly being in
direct contact with the ground is not unique. The power system interpreted the ground as a
normal “load” and the power was not interrupted.
Although this marked my first incident involving DC catenary lines, I quickly realized
they were present throughout our city and distinct from AC power lines. A closer look at
these two electrical systems reveals just how different they are and how fire department
personnel should approach them differently.
The following is a brief overview that will help you better understand how AC and DC
work and where you may encounter each.
DIRECT CURRENT
DC power is uni-directional; it travels only in one direction. A household battery is a
small-scale example of DC. The electrons flow from negative to positive until the battery
is completely discharged and power is consumed. Historically, elevators have been
powered by DC since it allows good speed control and torque, making it preferable for the
smooth operation of heavy elevators. However, over the past 25 years, many DC-powered
elevators have been converted to AC power. On a much larger scale, DC electricity is
commonly used to power trains, buses, trolleys, and other transportation systems using a
“third rail” or an overhead catenary wire system.
DC mass transit systems require rectifiers to rectify or convert AC to the DC. Rectifiers
can be aboveground or in underground vaults; they will be in a secured area marked “High
Voltage.” They must be placed throughout the run of a catenary line since the DC power
may need to be boosted, depending on the system’s load—i.e., the number of buses or
trains using the line (photo 3).
DC catenary lines may be aboveground or underground. Aboveground catenary systems
will be unshielded wire, but belowground lines will likely be wrapped and shielded.
Underground DC lines are susceptible to faults and failures that may result in fires,
manhole explosions, and so forth. Since our nation’s metropolitan areas depend heavily on
mass transit systems, underground DC lines will be a challenge for first responders as
these systems age and begin to fail.
When a DC line touches the ground, the line will not necessarily fault and open the circuit,
thereby stopping the flow of current to the down line. When this happens, the system
interprets the ground contact as additional resistance (load), similar to an electric bus on
the line requiring more power to climb a hill. Consequently, the equipment commonly
used to determine if there is electrical activity in an area (like an AC voltage detector) may
not detect any electrical activity partly because of the lack of an electromagnetic field
created by an AC current that is absent with DC (photo 4).

(1) Hazards fill this entire intersection, which is similar to the one described in the down
wire incident. (Photos by Chris Greene.)
ALTERNATING CURRENT
AC is bi-directional, traveling in two directions, alternating back and forth, 60 times per
second, along the transmission line (Figure 1). AC is the electricity supplied to your home.
To provide power to an urban area, the AC electric grid is typically supported by the
following:
• Substations of multiple types that convert and distribute the voltage.
 • Transmission lines that move voltage greater than 100 kilovolts (kV) over a long
distance.
• Transformers that step down (reduce) or step up (increase) voltage.
• Primary or high-voltage lines with capacities generally less than 34kV for city grids.
• Secondary lines that carry less than 600 volts are stepped-down lines that feed smaller
transformers.
• Service lines used to bring power from smaller transformers to the public consumption.
For residential service, this generally means voltages of 120 and 480 for commercial.

High-voltage overhead transmission lines will generally have capacities greater than
100kV and will be unshielded wire. Overhead primary lines use a pole-mounted step-down
transformer to convert the high voltage to a more usable 120V residential secondary feed.
Generally, these lines are wrapped and shielded using a material commonly referred to as
“tree wrap” that protects the line from faulting against a tree.
Seattle’s key infrastructure areas are supported by an underground high-voltage network
system that will provide redundancies to ensure no loss of power to critical loads such as
hospitals and other key business areas.
Automatic reclosers are commonly used with overhead primary lines to maintain power in
the event of a fault. This feature attempts to clear a fault (making three attempts over five
seconds) rather than simply de-energize the line and leave the circuit open. When a fault
occurs, the circuit “opens,” which interrupts the flow of energy. The reclosing feature will
attempt to reclose the circuit in an attempt to “blow off” the item causing the fault. If it
succeeds, the branch or other item will be moved off the line with the energy surge. But if
unsuccessful after the three attempts (over five seconds), the circuit will remain open and
voltage will be unable to flow through the circuit. An interesting side note is that automatic
reclosers have received heavy criticism for potentially exacerbating some of the recent
wildland fires in central California.
AC lines are equally common underground and are also subject to line fatigue, faults, and
chemical or rodent damage, which can result in manhole fires and lead to explosions under
certain conditions.
AC VS. DC: DIFFERENCES
It is critical to understand the differences between AC and DC voltage. The following may
keep you safe on the next “line down” alarm:
• Your stray voltage detector will not detect DC voltage. When AC current alternates, it
produces a collapsing sine wave of electromagnetic energy, which is what your stray
voltage detector reads; it is not present with DC current. You must understand how to
use the electrical detection equipment on your apparatus and its limitations.

• AC and DC down power lines act differently when they contact the ground. AC and
DC lines that have made contact with the ground after an incident may see the ground as
a “load” and remain energized. A significant difference is that a down AC overhead line
will create a ground gradient hazard. Conversely, a down DC line may be
energized without the presence of a strong detectable ground gradient voltage field. A
ground gradient field generally only occurs when very high voltages are achieved, but in
the case of mass transit power lines, this is uncommon. A voltage detector will provide
no indication of DC energy on an energized DC line and thus may give a false sense of
safety to responders.
• AC and DC hazards often share the same space. Recognize that these hazards can
simultaneously be present. Consider a DC rectifying station. My experience has revealed
that rectifying stations are always married to AC transformers in one large area. They
can be underground or aboveground. In residential neighborhoods, they are often pad
mounted; the only indication of their presence may be a six-foot cyclone fence and a
sign that says, “Caution High Voltage.” They are much smaller than traditional
substations and may be mistaken for benign metal lockers unless you look closely or are
familiar with the equipment.

• Identify the responsible party. Many cities delineate the responsible party by what
party rectified or transformed the power last. For example, Seattle City Light distributes
most of the AC power in the city, whereas King County Metro Transit delivers all
rectified DC power used by its mass transportation equipment. Depending on the
situation, the party responsible for deenergizing the down line or energy equipment may
differ. This can cause confusion and delay capturing definitive information during these
incidents.