Burns down in kids, still 120,000 per year in U.S.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The good news: According to a new report, the number of US kids burned by scalding water, chemicals and electrical appliances decreased significantly between 1990 and 2006.

The bad news: Hundreds of youngsters are still getting burned every day.

More than 2 million children, adolescents and young adults were treated in US emergency departments for burns during the 17-year study period, with an average of nearly 121,000 burn cases per year, Dr. Lara B. McKenzie and two colleagues report in the October issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Only about six percent of those treated in emergency rooms for burns ended up in the hospital.

The rate of burn-related injuries per 10,000 children decreased 31 percent over the years studied, note the researchers, from the Center for Injury Research and Policy, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

The majority of burns occurred in children younger than age 6. Most burn injuries occurred in the home (92 percent) and were caused by heat and fire (60 percent). About a quarter were caused by scalding, and the rest were caused by chemicals, electricity, or radiation.

More than a third - 36 percent -- involved the hands and fingers, and about a fifth - 21 percent - involved the head and face.

"Parents should be mindful of how appliances and kitchen equipment are set up; kitchen-related scalds are the most common type of burn injury in children," McKenzie noted in an email to Reuters Health.

Children, she advised, should not be allowed to play in or near the kitchen, especially while food is being prepared, and young children should not be allowed to operate the microwave or other electrical appliances.

It's best to keep hot foods and drinks away from the edges of tables and counter tops and "never carry a child while holding hot items," McKenzie said.

"Never leave irons, hair dryers, or curling or straightening irons on around children and lock up matches, lighters, gasoline and chemicals and cover electrical outlets when not in use," she added.

McKenzie suggests parents consider setting the water heater thermostat to no more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit and installing anti-scald devices on water faucets to stop the flow of water if it gets too hot.

And steer clear of the at-home fireworks show. "Take your family to see a professional fireworks display instead of using consumer fireworks," McKenzie said, it's much safer.

SOURCE: Pediatrics, October 2009.