-3 cases of burn injuries caused by skin contact during sleep-

Users reported burn injuries from using 'lightening cables*' of Apple's products, such as iPhone 5 and etc.

* The Lightening cable is used to recharge and transmit data of Apple's products, such as iPhone 5, iPad, iPod, and etc. released from the second half of 2012 in Korea.

Whereas typical recharge cables have internalized sockets, preventing direct contact with skin, the iPhone's lightening cables are exposed externally and pose a risk of burns due to skin contact for a long period of time.

The Korea Consumer Agency(www.kca.go.kr) announced that the Consumer Injury Surveillance System(CISS) has received three cases of burn injuries from using the lightening cables between January 2013 and March 2014. All three consumers reported sustaining second-to third-degree burns on their arms during sleep.

The KCA conducted its own experiment which showed the lightening cables causing damages to the pork rinds(the skin of a pig) when contact was made. Most notably, there was a case that the burn injury happened in less than 30 minutes. However, Apple has not alerted or warned such risks of burn injuries from using the lightening cables in the user's manuals for its products.

The KCA notified the burn injuries to the Korean unit of Apple Inc. and proposed corrective measures for consumers' safety.

Furthermore, the KCA advised that the lightning cables should be separated from the chargers at all times when not in use, and especially at night, households with infants and children who have delicate skins should never leave the cables unattended.