National Scald Prevention Campaign Statistics
4,000 deaths
400,000 hospitalized in burn centers
40% of all treated burns and one-third of those hospitalized are scalds
75% of all burns to young children are scalds
40% of all scald injuries are to children 0-4 years of age
- Scalds are the leading cause of burn injuries, particularly to young children and senior adults.
- Hot liquids can cause first, second and third degree burns depending on temperature and length of exposure.
- At 155º, a third degree burn can occur within 1 second.
- The risk of a scald injury could be greatly reduced by turning your water heater to a low or warm setting (120-130º)
Time and temperature relationship required to scald a healthy adult
- 155°F: 1 Second
- 140°F: 5 Seconds
- 127°F: 1 Minute
- 120°F: 5 Minutes
- 100°F: Safe Bathing Temperature
