I'm not sure, but I suspect if you dsrupt the charge it would cause it to break down, sort of like tripping the flow in a boudary layer (fluid flow). A small short will ruin a capacitor, maybe it's a similar thing (anyone of you guys an EE?).

> I don't understand how the grounding cable can remove more than
> just the charge immediately surrounding it, as plastic is non-conductive.
> For example, isn't it the same as putting a grounded wire across your
> TV screen? Only the charge within the immediate vicinity of the wire
> will be removed, but the rest of the screen will be unaffected. Unless
> the piping is lined with a fine wire mesh, how can it work?