Static Guard and How It Works
Static electricity is a kind of electricity that stays in one place. Static can build up on things that do not conduct electricity very well such as rubber and plastics. Coming in contact with static by providing a discharge of current from your body can be very uncomfortable. There are products which can eliminate or reduce static electricity in order to avoid a nasty shock. The product Static Guard is a chemical method used to eliminate static electricity. The spray is made up of a conducting polymer (plastic) and a solvent made from deionized water and alcohol. You spray the product on a surface like a dress or a sweater, and when it evaporates, it leaves behind a conducting “skin” on the surface of the object that prevents static build up. As the conducting layer is left on the surface of an object that has been sprayed, static electricity cannot build up on the object and, therefore, you do not have to worry about shocking yourself. Static electricity has no way to release the energy that builds up so it does not move until it is touched by something which can conduct the electricity. An example of this would be if you built up static electricity with your socks and then touched a doorknob. The static has nowhere to go until you touch the door knob which releases the static, causing a static shock. This example also illustrates an important point that metals, like those composing a doorknob, are good conductors of electricity.
Another example supposed solution to static shock is this: Sometimes cars drive with a rubber strip dangling out of the back of their car, mostly during the winter and fall. Some people believe that the rubber touching the ground will release the static electricity in the car. This has actually been proven to be completely wrong. This precaution is unnecessary because the car’s tires are responsible for transmitting static from the car to the ground and back again.
What makes the spray special is that there are components in the spray that neutralize your clothes to keep them from sticking to your legs and shocking you. This product is especially popular during the winter when people are constantly getting shocked by static electricity. This is because of all the layers of clothes a person wears. When the clothes rub together, it causes friction, which causes static electricity in return. However, if products such as these are not properly used, they can become dangerous to people if they are exposed to it for long periods of time. The product is flammable, and should not be placed near open flames or in hot spaces. The product can also cause trouble breathing, and irritation of the mucus membrane, which has lead to difficulty breathing. There have been no reported deaths attributed to this product, but the spray has been known, in rare cases, to cause liver damage in both humans and rats.
Static guard is a wonderful product that has been keeping our clothes static and cling free for years, but be warned, the product can cause serious side effects if used too frequently.
