Water and electricity do not mix.
The adage is known, but does not prevent the 40 deaths linked to electrocution each year, counted by the National Observatory for Electrical Safety.
This Sunday again, a young man of 25 would have died in Tence (Haute-Loire) in his bathtub, while he was using his phone in charge, according to information from Progrès.
If deaths remain rare, accidents involving mobile phones are increasing, according to Lieutenant Patrick Chavada, member of the national first aid commission of the National Federation of Firefighters of France (FNSPF).
"It's an everyday device, but it remains electric," he warns.
And like any electrical device, a phone plugged into the mains can be a deadly device.
Precautions must be taken!
»
220 Volts and “danger of death”
A first instruction is to be respected: do not use electrical appliances when you are in a humid atmosphere, such as a shower, a bath or more generally a bathroom.
“With the democratization of smartphones, people use them for everything and anything, including in the bath.
And we begin to have electric shocks and even electrocutions, leading to the death of the victim, ”laments the lieutenant.
The electrical installation in humid places such as bathrooms is however supervised, as the firefighter reminds us: “The sockets must be high up away from bathtubs and showers, in places known as out of water.
But the problem is that today the charging cable is long enough to reach the bath.
»
Concretely, how can we find ourselves in contact with electricity?
Dry skin insulates the human body.
Once wet, it loses its qualities and becomes a conductor.
The current can therefore pass through the whole body.
As with a hair dryer or a razor, a plugged-in mobile phone that falls into water can then cause electrification, even electrocution, which is fatal.
“We must not forget that this is a device that works with an electrical source, with small sparks that are formed.
If there are gasoline fumes, it could ignite.
If there is water, there is a risk of electrocution”, explains the member of the FNSPF.
📲 He would have dropped his cell phone in the water while he was charging.
https://t.co/Dg64jdmlYN
– Progress (@Le_Progres) February 6, 2023
Whether you use your phone on charge or not does not involve the same dangers.
In question, the 220 volts of the electrical sector that the human body can receive through the socket.
“If it's not on mains, you're not connected to these 220 volts.
You only potentially receive the 6 volts from the telephone, the equivalent of electric wires from fences.
It will be unpleasant, but a priori we only have a risk of electrification.
As soon as we switch to the device in charge, there is a danger of death, ”explains the firefighter.
"Unplug the plug to help"
In the event of electrification, the rule to follow is simple: get out of the water immediately, dry off and empty your bathtub.
Only then will you be able to recover your precious phone, which in most cases could have given up the ghost.
In the most serious case of electrification with cardiorespiratory arrest, the person who comes to help must imperatively avoid touching the victim.
“We also risk being electrified very seriously.
You have to unplug the plug first, ”insists the lieutenant.
The plugged in phone can also be dangerous outside your bathroom, especially when plugged into a power strip that is already in use.
“There is also a danger if there is an overuse of electrical outlets.
We put the power strip on, which will start to heat up and can go so far as to ignite, ”explains Patrick Chavada.
In the event of long-term charging, it is best to put your phone in a place that is not at risk of catching fire and not on your sofa and carpet.