Hot Water Burns

TREATMENT FOR BURNS

Minor Burns

• Hold burned area under cool running water for 15 minutes.
• Do NOT apply ointments or butter.
• Cover the area with dry gauze.
• Do NOT pop blisters.

Consult a doctor if burns occur on the face, hands, genitalia, feet, or for any burn on an infant.

Severe Burns

• Have one person call 911 or the local emergency number while another person runs cool water over the burned area. Do NOT use ice.
• Do NOT put ointment or grease on the burn and do NOT try to remove pieces of cloth from the burned area.
• DO NOT break blisters.
• DO NOT give the victim anything to eat or drink.
• DO raise the burned limbs to minimize swelling.
• DO keep the victim from being chilled or overheated.

Prevention

• Turn down the water heater to 120 degrees.
• Test bath water before putting a child in it. If the water feels hot to you, it will burn a child.
• Put the child in the bath with their back to the faucet so they can:t turn the water on.
• Get knob covers for the bathroom tub.

CAUSES OF HOT WATER BURNS

• About 50 percent occur because parents put children in water that is too hot.
• Children turn the water faucet on or fall into a tub of hot water.
• Deliberate abuse by parents.
• Nearly 2 million people are treated for burns annually in the United States.
• About 100,000 will be hospitalized, and nearly 12,000 will die.
• About 112,000 of these burns are scald burns. According to Safe Kids Coalition, about 37,000 of these people are 14 or under, and about 18,000 are 5 or under.
• The United States has the highest rate of burns in the industrialized world, according to the National Safety Council.
• Burns are the second leading cause of death for young children ages 0 to 5.
• Children burn faster than adults because they have thinner skin.
• Everyday, 300 young children are taken to emergency rooms for burns caused by household water that was too hot. Annually, 3,000 of these children require hospitalization.
• Water heaters leave the factory set at 140 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. It takes 2 seconds for a child to receive third degree burns from water at 150 degrees. It takes 5 seconds if the water is at 140 degrees, and 30 seconds at 130 degrees.

TO TEST YOUR WATER HEATER'S TEMPERATURE

• Check it in the early morning before anyone has used the hot water.
• Go into the kitchen and turn on the hot water tap and leave it running for two minutes.
• Hold an outdoor thermometer or candy thermometer in the stream of running water until the temperature stops rising.
• If the temperature is between 120 and 125, good.
• If higher, find the thermostat on the water heater and turn it down.
• Gas water heaters have an external thermostat, near the bottom.
• Electric water heaters have two panels screwed to the top and bottom of the tank or one panel on the side. Set it to "low" or "Energy Efficient."
• Wait 24 hours and then test the water temperature again to see it is in the safe range.
• Consult a professional if the temperature did not go down.

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