University of Missouri - Columbia Extension
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not
represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears
by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
This
fact sheet was produced under Cooperative Agreement U05/CCU7060804-01
between the National Institute of Occupational Safety and
Health and the University of Missouri. For more information,
call (314) 882-2731.
University
of Missouri - Columbia Extension, University of Missouri-Columbia,
Agricultural Engineering Department.
Issued
in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work Acts of May 8 and
June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department
of Agriculture. Ronald J. Turner, Interim Director, Cooperative
Extension Service, University of Missouri and Lincoln University,
Columbia, Missouri 65211. An equal opportunity institution.
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