Water fun and summertime go hand-in-hand. Although we may quickly turn to our water hoses for a cool down in the hot Texas summer, there’s a hidden danger of which we need to be more aware. Water which has been left in an outdoor water hose in high temperatures can result in scalding and second-degree burns. Occurrences are so rarely shared in the news or on social media. And, as such, it’s a P.S.A. that needs to be passed along for both your child as well as your pet’s safety.
Lifestyle
The Hidden Danger in Water Hoses: Avoid Scalding and Burns
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Photo: Pixabay
In 2018, the Las Vegas Fire Department took to their social media to share a photo of a baby boy with burns that resulted from the spray of a garden hose. The incident took place in Arizona in 2016. However, similar experiences can and have occurred, resulting from water temperatures upwards of 140-degrees Fahrenheit. Such heat is achieved after the water is left sitting in garden hoses that have been out in the sun. The toddler in this instance suffered second-degree burns when he was sprayed with a garden hose which had been similarly left out. In order to avoid future instances, the LVFD tweeted the image, in an effort to inform the public of this hidden danger.
Photo: Pixabay
Likewise, the danger is just as detrimental to pets. A case study from Texas A&M’s Department of Pathology showed that skin biopsy samples taken from pets between 2007 and 2010 resulted in the findings that the animals suffered from thermal burns consistent with that which would come from the exposure to hot water from garden hoses. Each of the samples were taken in areas where the temperatures were known to reach at least 90-degrees F. The researchers tested the theory that water from garden hoses were to blame by filling both a black as well as a green hose and leaving it on the lawn in the Texas heat. The outdoor temperatures rose between 89- and 94-degrees F., while the water in both hoses had reached 120 degrees F.
