More than 3 in 10 injuries admitted to U.S. burn centers are a result of scald burns from hot water or other liquids, or steam. American Burn Association data shows that 61% of scald burn victims are under age 5.
“People are unaware of the impacts hot liquids can have on small children, particularly toddlers, as they start to move around and pull on things,” said Dr. Barclay Stewart, a UW Medicine burn and trauma surgeon at Harborview Medical Center. “Busy parents and caregivers who are trying to balance cooking and taking care of the child at the same time also are at high risk.”
Dr. Mary King, medical director of the Harborview Pediatric Trauma and Burn intensive care unit, advises parents to check the water temperature of baths and showers before children get in.
“Make sure you have it set at 120 degrees, max,” said King, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. “You need to check that temperature before you're exposing your kid and also teach your children not to get into water before they've checked it themselves.”
National Burn Awareness Week is Feb. 5-11. The American Burn Association offers guidance to keep adults and children safe from scald burns:
Establish a “kid-free zone” of at least 3 feet around the stove while cooking.
Open lids away from your body after microwaving food.
Always wear oven mitts when taking food out of the oven.
Use a tight-fitting lid with travel mugs.
Learn more about burn safety from the Harborview Injury Prevention & Research Center.
News reporters and news organizations may freely republish and distribute videos, still images and audio files produced by UW Medicine and the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Works must be attributed/credited appropriately (for example, “UW Medicine” – as denoted in the file) and must not be used for commercial purposes.
These visual and audio files may not be used to exploit or misrepresent UW Medicine or the University of Washington.
UW Medicine often licenses still images and stock video from Getty Images, but we cannot grant republishing rights. You may not republish single image files, videos or animations credited to Getty Images.
Logos of UW Medicine and University of Washington Health Sciences schools may not be republished without explicit permission. Contact us by phone or email: 206.543.3620 or mediarelations@uw.edu