Los Angeles Injury Lawyer Blog

A scalding burn is a serious burn to the skin caused by hot liquids, such as tap water, soup or tea, or steam. Scalding is considered a second degree burn or third degree burn and results in damage to the skin in the form of blisters or skin splitting. Hot tap water burns are the second most common cause of serious burn injuries to people, and can lead to death. Some burn centers estimate that as many as half of the burns they treat are a result of a scalding accident. Every year around 112,000 people are treated at emergency rooms with scald burns and around 6 percent of them need hospitalization. A significant number of scalding happens at home by tap water that's too hot. Children under the age of five, the elderly and the physically impaired are particularly susceptible to scald injuries because their skin is thinner and it can be harder for them to get out of the way of boiling hot liquids when they spill or splatter. In fact around 80 percent of hot tap water burns occur within this group. The problem can result from people’s water heaters being set too high. When tap water is heated to 122 degrees, it takes 30 seconds for a child to get a third-degree burn. But when tap water is heated to 149 degrees, a third-degree burn is instantaneous.

According to National Safe Kids Campaign, around 5,000 children are scalded each year, most often in bathtubs. The average bathtub scald burn covers 12% of the body surface with a third degree burn. The location of where scald burns most often occur is 95% residential settings: 54% in apartment houses and 46% in single family homes. Scald injuries can be fatal if it covers a large enough part of the body. It can happen quite suddenly, even to adults. Often people are at home in the shower when the water temperature suddenly skyrockets. If people cannot get out of the way or turn the water temperature down, they can sustain significant burns over their entire body. In this situation, especially the elderly will have a difficult time getting out of the way of the burning water in time not to sustain injuries. Many states now require water heaters to be preset to 120 degrees, but sometimes water in the tank can reach temperatures of 150 degrees even in this situation. Plumbers can install devices to prevent this type of scalding. It is known as a temperature-actuated device and when water flowing through this device gets too hot, it will snap shut and prevent water flow. In addition, a thermostatic mixing device is inexpensive and will mix hot and cold water together. Other examples of scald burns are when boiling water or liquid, such as soup or tea, accidentally spills or splashes someone. If a child or adult sustains a serious scald burn, it can require hospitalization and skin grafts, and even lead to death. If you or a loved one has been the victim of a scald burn injury, you should seek the advice of an experienced injury lawyer.