I went back and followed the link to the theory on tornados, I found it interesting but far fetched none the less. We all know that tornados create static electrical charges, but they easily regulate themselves, by discharging to the ground. Your physics on what this guy is saying makes a lot of sense to me, but the entire thing is still interesting. What I am trying to put together in my head is the fact if the Static electrical field, which is claimed to be in the Megawatt range, has a strong positive charge. A body or individual would have to be in just the right place to also get this same electrical charge, without being sturck dead by a discharge. Now knowing how plant operations work, it would seem to me that charged air in the megawatt range would simply discharge itself to the nearest ground. Simply like a storm cloud would strike the ground, which is much higher up than this field would have to been …
I just recieved a email from David Swenson, he has retired from 3M and his email is pasted below, he is willing to discuss this matter further with questions and answers also.
<Start Email>
This is David Swenson, “Voltana” at 3M forwarded your question to me to see if I could assist.
I retired from 3M in March of this year and started a consulting company called "Affinity Static Control Consulting, L.L.C. The article you refered to in Electrostatic Journal was originally presented at an EOS/ESD Symposium but was not published at that time. I was asked to present it again at a conference in Canada related to the Priniting and Graphic Arts industry several years later. The published version from that conference was then put on the Web Site of Electrostatic Journal.
I have had numerous inquiries over the years from people all over the world regarding the phenomena. Several explanations were offered and several have tried to duplicate my observations on a lab or test bed scale. I have never heard if anyone was successful. The US Department of Defense was also interested and I think put some effort into trying to duplicate what was I observed. I was asked to try to get the plant to allow some others to come in and do a study but it never worked out. I have no access to it anymore, in fact is is not even a 3M operation anymore.
I think the best explanation has to do with the film being at or vaery near the theoretical charge density limit and just the right combination of resistance between the person and floor. With the electric field at its maximum at the center of the tent formed by the film, the conductive body (person) approaching the center was actually pinned to the floor. Had the floor been more conductive, the person would have been closer to ground and probably would have received a massive shock from a propagating brush discharge. But being isolated from ground, no charge separation occured resulting in the electrostatic “pinning” effect.
There was some other talk about a “plasma” being formed but I do not think that explains it well. This only occured at the exact combination of temperature and humidity (dew point) and went away when the humidity increased in the room.
You asked about charged particles - if you mean actual solid particles or an aerosol, I doubt that the field density could appoach the film level since the particles would repel one another too much.
Should you want to discuss this further my current contact information is listed below.