Burns and scald injuries are a ‘significant problem' in Ireland, particularly in relation to children under the age of three, a new study has highlighted.

Researchers from the HSE Midlands' Department of Public Health focused on all paediatric burn admissions to hospitals in 2014, with particular emphasis on the role of hot beverage scalds among children.

The study found that during this time, there were 233 hospital cases among children aged zero to 18 years, with the peak incidence occurring in the first three years of life.

Overall, 66% of burn injuries occurred in the home. However, almost 60% of burn cases were among children under the age of three and almost all of those cases (95%) occurred in the home.

The researchers found that hot beverage scalds ‘are a particularly common injury that tend to occur within the home'.

Scald injuries are burns caused by hot liquid or steam and when it came to this kind of injury, the researchers highlighted the various ‘times to scald' for children:
-Boiling water from a kettle will scald almost instantly
-Black tea or coffee will scald in less than one second
-Tea with cold milk added will scald in less than one second
-Water from the hot tap will scald in one second
-A kettle which boiled 15 minutes ago will take 10 seconds to scald.

The study noted that that among those under the age of three, 77% of hot beverage scalds resulted in partial thickness injuries, which involve part of the dermis of the skin. Scarring is common with partial thickness burn and can be severe.

The study also found that among this age group, almost 72% of scalds from hot beverages resulted in upper body injuries.

"Any resultant scarring or disfigurement is therefore more likely to be found on the head, neck or upper limbs. Burns and scalds to the hand in a toddler can be extensive, and the resulting contractures and scarring can be associated with long-term disability," the researchers said.

They highlighted the need for a hot beverage scald prevention campaign that is targeted towards the parents and carers of children under the age of three.

"Burns and scalds are preventable injuries that can happen in seconds but leave physical and psychological scars that last a lifetime. The image of the ‘cup of scald' as a benign source of comfort needs alteration.

"Rather we must endeavour to paint a picture of an agent that has the potential to cause a full thickness burn even after cooling for 10 minutes with the addition of milk, a fact that one would surmise is little-known among the general population," the researchers said.

Details of these findings are published in the Irish Medical Journal.