PEDIATRICS Vol. 102 No. 1 Supplement July 1998, pp. 256-258
COMMENTARY:
Tap Water Scald Burns in Children, by K. W. Feldman,
R. T. Schaller, J. A. Feldman, and M. McMillon,
Pediatrics, 1978;62:1-7
Received Mar 19, 1998; accepted Mar 19, 1998.
From the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center and the Departments of Pediatrics and Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Tap water scald burns account for 7% to 17% of all childhood scald burns that require hospitalization. Often the burns are severe and disabling. Toddlers and preschool children are the most frequent victims. In 45% of the injuries, the unsupervised victim or peer turned on the tap water; in 28% the cause was abuse. Eighty percent of the homes tested had unsafe bathtub water temperatures of 54°C (130°F) or higher, exposing the occupants to the risk of full-thickness scald with <30-second exposure to hot water. Such burns may be prevented passively by limiting household water temperatures to <52°C (125°F). New water heaters could be preset at this temperature, and families could be taught to turn down the temperature on existing units.




