ESD stands for Electrostatic Discharge and can be described as a fast moving transient pulse due to a charged body discharging into another body. This is a common occurrence when a person drags their feet on the carpet and then touches a metal object such as a doorknob. When walking across the carpet shuffling their feet, a person’s body builds up an electric charge and when touching a metal object, that charge gets dissipated into the metal object. That is a form of Electrostatic Discharge. The discharge that occurs can be up to 30 kV and produce currents up to 30 A in extreme cases. Although these values are high, the total energy of the ESD transient pulse is very low, on the order of 50 milli-joules, and happens in less than 100 nanoseconds. ESD voltage is also dependent on the humidity in the air. When air is humid, it contains more moisture and is more conductive allowing for the ESD charge to dissipate before building up to higher voltage levels. When the air is dry, it is more insulative allowing more charge buildup on surfaces. This is why a person may notice more of these static events during cold dryer months of the season than warmer wet months.