Doctors in Canada have warned music fans not to use their iPods outdoors during stormy weather.
The advice came after emergency teams across north America reported treating people who had been badly burnt after being hit by lightning while using small electronic devices.
A letter from a group of doctors from Vancouver General Hospital published in the New England Journal of Medicine detailed the case of a man who was struck by lightning while out jogging.
The 37-year-old suffered multiple fractures of the jaw, two ruptured eardrums and burns across his chest, neck and ears corresponding to where his iPod headphones had been.
The doctors said using an iPod does not increase the chances of someone being struck by lightning during a storm, but added: "The combination of sweat and metal earphones directed the current to, and through, the patient's head."
Dr Mary Ann Cooper of the American College of Emergency Physicians told the Canadian Press the biggest danger of wearing an iPod during bad weather is that the user may not hear the thunder that warns lightning is on its way.
© 2007 Adfero Ltd
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