| 夜影 |
2005-08-02 10:07 |
Heat, Cars, and Children
The news: Children are much more susceptible to heat injury than adults, and leaving them in cars is one of the ways they can be harmed by excessive heat. Researchers at Stanford University studied how fast temperature rises in a car at various outside temperatures and what effect if any cracking the window open would have.
The scientists found that 89 percent of the temperature increase occurs in the first 15 to 30 minutes and that the increase is the same whether the window is open a little (one and one-half inches) or closed. They measured an average increase of 40 degrees Fahrenheit inside the car with outside temperatures ranging from 72 to 96. That means that, even on a cool day, the temperature inside the car can reach 117 degrees. That temperature is enough to kill a child quickly. (Pediatrics, vol. 116, no.1 [July 2005]: e109-112)
Comment, by Loraine Stern, M.D.: It is hard for me to believe that people are still leaving children alone in cars. I have seen this myself in parking lots—I always call 911 and stay with the children. The latest statistics available are from June 2000 to June 2001. During that period the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported 78 children dead and more than 9,000 nonfatal injuries from children being left alone in and around cars.
Never leave a child alone in the car, even if you intend to be gone only a few seconds to run in and out of the store, or leave a car or car trunk unlocked so that a child may climb in and be trapped inside. Heat injury is probable, and there are other dangerous consequences, including thermal burns from seat belt buckles, abduction, and the child putting the car in motion. No matter how much trouble it is to unbuckle the car seats and take the children along, it is worse to find them dead or missing when you get back. |
|