Serious question - when somebody kills themselves "toaster in the bath style"?
Question:
Answers:
First of all, the "toaster in the bathtub" form of suicide doesn't always work as well as it used to. The successful electrocution depends upon the drainpipe being made of metal, and most drain piping today is plastic - it won't conduct electricity. Secondly (assuming a metal drainpipe), if the toaster lands in the water, the electricity wouldn't have to travel through the person, just through the water, so the person wouldn't get electrocuted. Thirdly, most modern toaster bodies are made of plastic, and even metal-bodied ones are insulated from the power going to the toaster elements, so even if the person was holding the toaster, the electricity couldn't get through. Only if the person turned the toaster on and stuck his hand into the toast slot would the electricity have a path that would go through his/her body. Fourth, why would you have a toaster in the bathroom?
This method of committing suicide (or creating a slapstick comedy scene) is highly overrated in today's safety-conscious world. Several decades ago, small table radios were made with the metal chassis connected directly to one side of the power cord, and if it was plugged in with that side in the "hot slot" in the wall receptacle (before the days of polarized plugs and GFI receptacles in bathrooms), and if the radio fell into the tub and the person grabbed it and touched the metal parts, AND the drain pipe was metal, THEN he/she would definitely be electrocuted. There would be electrical burn marks on the hand that touched the radio and perhaps on the area of the body closest to the drain.
More Questions & Answers...