Facts About Burn Injury

According to the latest data available from the National Safe Kids Campaign, consider these facts:

• Accidental, or unintentional, injury is the leading cause of death among children ages 14 and younger.
  
  
• Leading causes of accidental injury at home are burns, drowning, suffocation, choking, poisonings, falls, and firearms.
  
  
• Burns and fires are the tenth most common cause of accidental death in children and adults, and account for nearly 3,400 adult and child deaths per year.
  
  
• Nearly 75 percent of all scalding burns in children are preventable.
  
  
• Toddlers and children are more often burned by a scalding or flames.
  
  

• During the last 30 years, burn injuries have decreased for the following reasons:
  
  
  • Increased use of smoke detectors.
    
    
  • The flammability of consumer products, such as toys and pajamas, is federally regulated.
    
    
  • The US government monitors safety in the workplace.
    
    
  • A greater national emphasis is placed on burn injury prevention and fire safety.
    
    
  • A decrease in smoking helps prevent burn injuries.
    
    
  • New water heaters in homes and in public areas are now preset at lower temperatures to reduce scald injuries.
    
    
  • There are fewer open fires.

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