ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) can damage solid state components when you are handling these devices because:

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Electrostatic discharge becomes dangerous to solid-state devices because the human body can accumulate a large static charge, creating a high voltage difference between you and the device. When you touch or handle the device, that stored charge can discharge rapidly into the circuitry, delivering a sharp current pulse. That sudden surge can puncture or disrupt the tiny, delicate semiconductor junctions inside chips, causing damage even if you don’t feel a shock. So identifying the body’s ability to store a high voltage charge as the source of the discharge explains why handling these devices requires proper ESD protection. The fact that static electricity can harm chips is true, but the essential cause—the stored charge on your body that must be controlled—is what the statement highlights. Grounding and other protections are used to prevent that discharge from occurring in the first place, rather than relying on the presence or absence of a battery voltage.