4. Nuisances and dangers of static electricity

The nuisance caused by the accumulation of static electricity can range from the simple discomfort of touching a doorknob or other object to the very serious risk of explosion. Indeed, what do incidents such as the explosion of an airship in 1937, the Apollo cabin fire on land which claimed the lives of three men in 1970, the loss of the Europa rocket in 1971 and a little-known accident involving a Pershing missile in Heilbronn (FRG) in 1985 [29] have in common? Static electricity.

Generally speaking, any electrostatic nuisance is caused either by a phenomenon of attraction or repulsion linked to electrostatic forces 4.1