Shriners Children’s Ohio is raising awareness of flammable liquids — including some that may be surprising to families — during Burn Awareness Week, an annual education and prevention campaign running from Feb. 4–10.
Other flammable liquids include those used for cooking, such as cooking oils or grease; beauty products like nail polish remover and aerosol products; and other alcohol-based products like hand sanitizer.
Even with nail polish remover, there is enough vapor in the air that can catch fire if the lid is left off near an open flame, like a candle, Higginson said.
“Store your flammable liquids out of reach of children and away from heat sources like space heaters and furnaces,” Higginson said. She suggested finding cool, dry places.
For gas-powered tools like a snow blower or lawn mower, users should make sure to wait until the engine has cooled off before adding more gasoline, Higginson said.
“If you’re refilling and it’s hot, you can have a source of ignition there,” Higginson said.
Scalds, which are burns caused by hot liquid or steam, are one of the most common injuries to children. Scalds accounted for more than 40% of all new burns treated at Shriners Children’s Ohio in 2023.
“Another culprit of scalds are instant soups, Cup of Noodles or mac and cheese. These come out of the microwave very hot and kids can easily spill them onto their hands or laps,” Higginson said.
Coffee or other hot drinks can be a danger to young children, so families may want to opt for a coffee cup with a lid ― such as insulated traveler mugs or coffee tumblers ― at home to protect young children from accidental spills.
Children younger than 5 are twice as likely to be seen for burn injuries at a hospital emergency department, Shriners said.
If a burn does happen, the first thing parents should do is stop the burn process, Higginson said.
“That could be stop, drop and roll, or removing the burning clothing from the child. Then run the burned skin under cool running water ― never ice ― and wrap with a non-adhesive bandage or clean, dry cloth,” Higginson said.
Even small burns should get evaluated, Higginson said.
“It’s important to note that even a small centimeter square injury can be a very troublesome scar,” Higginson said.
If a child is burned after touching a fireplace and the wound heals, the wound can still develop life-limiting scars as the child grows older, she said.
“There’s still work that we can do to improve scarring,” Higginson said.
Shriners Children’s Ohio has been dedicated to the treatment of pediatric burns and specializing in plastic and reconstructive surgery since 1963. Burns affect children differently than adults, so it is important to seek care from pediatric-trained specialists.
Safety tips
Be safe in the kitchen:
Never leave the kitchen while cooking. If you have to leave the room, take your children with you and watch them at all times.
Establish a “kid-free zone” three feet around the stove and all areas where food and drink are prepared.
Cook with pots on back burners and turn handles in.
Test heated foods and liquids before serving to children.
Do not cook or carry hot items while holding a child.
Keep hot items away from edges of counters or tables.
Use placemats instead of tablecloths. A tablecloth can be hazardous if a young child pulls on it while hot food is on the table.
Never allow children to handle microwaved containers until they have cooled off enough to be touched and remind them to open food slowly.
Remind children that foods and liquids heated in the microwave may be much hotter than their containers.
Microwave popcorn bags should never be opened right away; steam released from the bag can cause a burn in seconds.
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