Burn Injuries to Children Can Be Prevented By Adding Safety Controls to Microwaves, Says New Study
Researchers at the University of Chicago Medical Center say that microwave manufacturers could be doing more to protect children from burn injuries. In their study, published in this month’s Journal of Pediatrics, doctors reported that added safety protections, including accelerated warning campaigns and locking options, could reduce the number of injuries that occur when kids take food out of the microwave.
While many of the latest microwave oven models come with an option to lock the oven before operation, a child can easily open the oven once it has stopped heating an item. Researchers say that this is when the majority of burn injuries happen.
The study concentrates on 104 patients under age 5 that were admitted to the burn unit at University of Chicago Medical Center for accidental injuries. According to researchers, 90% of the children sustained burn injuries caused by hot liquids or foods.
Burn injuries seemed to occur most often when children ages 18 months to 4 years opened the microwave doors to take out hot food or liquid or when older children, ages 7 to 14, accidentally spilled the hot items on younger children. Children, between 10 and 21 months, were the ones most likely to sustain burn injuries.
45 of the children involved in the study had burns on over 10% of their bodies. In some cases, children experienced infections and underwent intubation and tracheostomy. 7 of the 104 patients underwent inpatient rehabilitation. The researchers also found that not enough is being done to warn parents about the dangers that hot foods and liquids heated in microwaves can pose to children.
Scald Burns
A scald burn can occur when moist or dry heat or hot vapor burns the skin. A scald burn is considered a second-degree burn. The healing process can be very slow and scars are like to develop. At home, scald burns can occur when the skin comes into contact with hot water, soup, coffee, tea, or other hot liquids.
Burn injuries can be serious and traumatic injuries that can be very painful and costly. A burn victim may have to undergo skin grafts, plastic surgery, and other painful procedures to recover. If your child suffered injuries from a household appliance and the product manufacturer could have done more to prevent the injuries from happening, your family may be entitled to personal injury recovery.
Microwave Ovens Need Added Safety Controls, Researchers Advise, ScienceDaily, October 7, 2008
Burns and Scalds Safety, SafeKids.org (PDF)
Related Web Resources:
Facts About Burn Injury, Stlouischildrens.org
Our products liability lawyers are experienced in dealing with burn accident cases involving injuries to minors. Contact Gilbert, Ollanik, & Komyatte, PC today.
