How many amps it takes to kill someone,?

It’s not a cut and dry matter of a certain number of amps = death, but let’s see. Well the Wikipedia article on electric shock seems to have info on this. It claims, “Generally, currents approaching 100 mA are lethal if they pass through sensitive portions of the body.”, citing the page titled “Electric Current Needed to Kill a Human” at http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2000/JackHsu.shtml, which also writes, “In general, current that is fatal to humans ranges from 0.06 A to 0.07 A, depending on the person and the type of current.”

The current passing arm-to-arm or arm-to-leg to induce ventricular fibrillation of the heart is something like 80 milliAmperes = 0.08 A—possibly a little less. So this agrees with the range given by @Zaku.

There is also a phenomenon called micro-shock, which is associated with medical catheters placed through blood vessels into or near the heart. Microshock requires much less current—perhaps 10 microAmps = 0.00001 A.

Ultimately what matters is the current density within the heart’s conducting system.

Ground-fault interrupters (GFIs)—“safety outlets”—trip off at around 10 milliAmps (mA).

The exact amount of current through your body depends not only on the voltage with which you come in contact, but also on the skin resistance. This can vary widely depending on how wet or dry your skin is, the thickness of the epidermis, and other factors such as what kind of shoes you wear or how well-grounded you are.

The best rule for electrical safety when working with house voltage is to “keep one hand in your pocket”. This prevents arm-to-arm currents from passing directly through your heart.

Welcome to fluther @facing – glad you’re okay. Please make sure you stay away from electricity while swimming with us – you know, water + electricity = ouch!

Ditto on the welcome. We Flutherites have lots of potential, try to stay current, and not put up too much resistance. Ohm sweet Ohm.

It’s about the amps times the volts times the time, i.e. the accumulating joules getting transferred to your body.

basically, the current kills because it messes up your heartbeat.
≥10mAs muscle paralysis
≥20mAs breathing becomes labored
≥70mAs breathing stops
100–200mAs DEATH ZONE (heart fibrillations)
≥200mAs heart stops beating, patient may recover if immediate medical attention is administered

@28lorelei – Try all this with 1 mV voltage and not much will happen. Your list might apply to 110 volts.