What causes an electrical burn?

What causes an electrical burn?

• A. Heat from flames
• B. Electrical current
• C. Friction or rubbing
• D. Chemical exposure

Answer: (C)

Electrical burns happen when electric current travels through the body. As the current passes, it encounters resistance in tissues and is converted to heat, causing damage along the path. The injury isn’t just what you see on the skin—the current can heat deeper tissues, affect nerves and muscles, and even disrupt the heart or lungs. How severe the burn is depends on how much current flows, how long contact lasts, and the path the current takes through the body. So the core cause is the electrical energy moving through the body, not heat from a nearby flame, friction, or chemicals.

Electrical burns happen when electric current travels through the body. As the current passes, it encounters resistance in tissues and is converted to heat, causing damage along the path. The injury isn’t just what you see on the skin—the current can heat deeper tissues, affect nerves and muscles, and even disrupt the heart or lungs. How severe the burn is depends on how much current flows, how long contact lasts, and the path the current takes through the body. So the core cause is the electrical energy moving through the body, not heat from a nearby flame, friction, or chemicals.