The week of February 5th through 11th is National Burn Awareness Week.
According to the American Burn Association 73% of burn injuries happen in the home.
The majority of children treated are under the age of five and the majority of the burn injuries are scalds that happen in the kitchen.
There are several ways to prevent burns:
- Set your hot water temperature at 120 degrees or less.
- If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
- Keep children away from the stove when cooking by using a safety gate for younger children and marking with tape a 3-foot "no-kid zone" for older children.
- Should a burn occur; for small burns, cool the burn with cool water for 3-5 minutes. No ice, No butter, toothpaste, etc. those items will trap the heat and can make the burn deepen.
- For larger burns, larger than the palm of your hand, and burns to the face, hands, feet, genitalia and major joints should be evaluated by burn specialists.
