Static electricity is useful but dangerous. It is the energy that makes your hair stand on end. On its own, it is not dangerous. Risks occur when it suddenly discharges causing a spark or lightning. The spark can set off flammable items or damage electronics. Humans won’t even feel static electricity unless the discharge – the “static shock” – is at least 3500 volts. And that’s just a quick nuisance to us. Sensitive electronic components can be damaged by an electrostatic discharge as low as 20 volts. Static build up is a product of contact and separation between two solid surfaces. From the contact, one item loses electrons becoming positively charged. While the other gains electrons, becoming negatively charged.