--- ---  # Copper Is Hot These Days—Figuratively and Literally by [Improbable Research](https://time.com/author/improbable-research/) ## Improbable Research Mar 11, 2015 12:30 PM UTC  Holding ball of scrap copper wire Holding ball of scrap copper wireGetty Images by [Improbable Research](https://time.com/author/improbable-research/) ## Improbable Research Mar 11, 2015 12:30 PM UTC For young and youngish men of a certain disposition ([regarding copper](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-2101462/Copper-cable-theft-costing-Britain-fortune.html)), these are exciting times, as this medical report attests. The report is: “[Electrical burn injuries secondary to copper theft](http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00068-015-0495-y),” J.A. Dunne, D. J. Wilks, D.P. Mather, and J.M. Rawlins, _European Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery_, epub 2015\. The authors, at St George’s Hospital, London, Leeds General Infirmary, Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield, and Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Australia, report: --- > “” --- (Thanks to investigator Adrian Smith for bringing this to our attention.) Here’s a video news report of a case of possible copper theft in a different country: _This_ [_article_](http://www.improbable.com/2015/02/24/the-ten-percenters-the-hot-hot-men-who-pinch-copper/) _originally appeared on_ [_Improbable Research_](http://www.improbable.com/)_._ Copper Is Hot These Days—Figuratively and Literally ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3735881/why-copper-price-rising/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3735881/why-copper-price-rising/"},"headline":"Copper Is Hot These Days—Figuratively and Literally","datePublished":"2015-03-11T12:30:55.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T04:59:03.029Z","description":"Copper thieves are getting burned","url":"https://time.com/3735881/why-copper-price-rising/","keywords":["Science topic"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt99bb70a23e4ce205/69878295e53abacdcc4d7f39/141655797-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Improbable Research","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/improbable-research/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt99bb70a23e4ce205/69878295e53abacdcc4d7f39/141655797-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"scrap-copper-wire-ball","caption":"scrap-copper-wire-ball","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3735881/why-copper-price-rising/","name":"Copper Is Hot These Days—Figuratively and Literally"}}]}] ```