[CWChang]

CWChang  asked the Naked Scientists:
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There is a saying that people would be healthier to walk constantly on the soil ground with bare feet so that the electric charge accumulated in your body, which is harmful, will immediately be discharged.
 
My questions are
1. Can electric charge accumulate in our body during our normal life in a normal environment ? Is it not  true that the surplus charge in or on our body will generally leak into air or any thing we have attached ?
2. If the charge were accumulated in our body without discharging, is it  harmful to our body, medically speaking ?
 
Thanks
 
PS : if you will be so kind to answer me, I would like to see your answers in text form, since my English hearing ability is not good enough.
 
Best regards
 
CWChang
What do you think?

[Mike Gale]

It is true that our bodies accumulate electric charge as we wander around on rubber soles. You can see evidence of that when you get zapped by a door knob for example. Although the voltage can be alarmingly high, the charge actually accumulates on the outer surface of your skin so it is not detrimental to your health. A discharge mangles some of your skin cells, but only the ones on the outside, which are already dead. The health benefits of walking barefoot on the soil are more subtle than just static discharge. Allowing your feet to dissipate heat by evaporation for example. And forcing your muscles to contend with an irregular surface.

[studentstill]

I used to have a nylon shirt and when I pulled it off in a dark room you could hear the crackles and see the sparks. Didn't do me any harm -   I think.

[Mike Gale]

There may be more to this that I thought. See this TedTalk on water, cells and life: