Unlike salt water, fresh water is a poor conductor of electricity, however, some small amount of current does flow through freshwater when it becomes energized, back to he source through ground. This is usually not sufficient to trip an non gfi breaker. A person is a much better conductor than freshwater due to the salts in the tissue and iron in the blood, thus when they enter this electric field a greater amount of current (although still smal) will flow, even if they are not touching a grounded surface. This causes an electric field potential difference across the body. What kills people is that this difference in the electric field potential causes the body's muscles to seize. Typically, the end result is drowning, not electrocution. April 1 2016, 5:12 pm EDT
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