Over 500,000 scald burns occur annually in the United States. The two highest risk populations are children under the age of 5 and adults over 65.
Hot liquids can cause life-threatening burn injuries.
Scalds are the number-one cause of burn injury to children under age 4. Burn accidents frequently occur when parents or caregivers are in a hurry, angry, or under a lot of pressure. Coffee, tea, soup and hot tap water can be hot enough to cause serious burn injury. Scald and steam burns are often associated with microwave oven use. As a child's mobility and curiosity increases, appropriate supervision becomes essential.