Awareness campaign focuses on preventing scald burns

| Back | Text Size:

https://triblive.com/local/regional/awareness-campaign-focuses-on-preventing-scald-burns/

Awareness campaign focuses on preventing scald burns

Jeff Himler | Wednesday, February 6, 2019 3:26 p.m.

International Association of Fire Fighters

Hot liquids can be more dangerous to handle than many may think.

Scald injuries can be serious enough to require surgery, but they’re also highly preventable — realities that are the focus of Burn Awareness Week, observed annually during the first week of February.

“So many scald burns are preventable, such as cooking safely, practicing safe bathing habits, and being vigilant when handling and drinking hot liquids, like coffee,” said Krista Brands, CEO of the American Trauma Society’s Pennsylvania Division.

Here are some facts and figures related to scald injuries:

1,208

Number of people in Pennsylvania hospitalized for burn injuries in a year*

112

Allegheny County residents hospitalized for burn injuries last year*

Westmoreland County residents hospitalized for burn injuries last year*

376,950

Estimated number of scald burn injuries from household appliances and products seen at U.S. hospitals from 2013-17

78,526

Number of children age 4 or younger included in those figures

300

Number of children seen each day in U.S. emergency rooms with burn injuries

U.S. children who die each day from burn injuries

Fact

Young children and older adults are more vulnerable to scald burns because their skin has thinner dermal layers.

85%

Percentage of scald burns that occur in the home

35%

Portion of burn center admissions attributed to scald burns in 2017, up from 30 percent in 2007

100 degrees

Recommended temperature of water for bathing

120 degrees

Recommended temperature setting for hot water heaters

3 seconds

Time it takes 140-degree water to potentially cause a burn serious enough to require surgery

Visit ameriburn.org for more information.

*= Third quarter of 2017 through second quarter of 2018, the most-recent figures available.

Sources: Consumer Product Safety Commission, American Burn Association, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff at 724-836-6622, jhimler@tribweb.com or via Twitter @jhimler_news.

Details

The American Burn Association offers the following tips to help protect kids from being scalded:

• Set the water heater temperature no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit;

• Create a "no kid" zone in the kitchen around stoves and other hot items;

• Place pots and pans on the stove's back burners with handles turned away from the edge;

• Keep hot drinks in travel mugs with tight-fitting lids and place them away from the edges of tables and counters;

• Don't leave children unattended in the bathtub and don't allow them to adjust the water temperature or sit near faucet handles;

• Don't allow appliance cords to dangle over the edge of a counter.

Email Newsletters