Twelve people so far this summer have been treated for injuries related to hot pavement at the Firefighters Burn Institute Regional Burn Center at UC Davis.
The numbers have been increasing in recent years, according to UC Davis Medical Center spokeswoman Rebecca Badeaux. In 2021, nine people were treated for hot pavement burns; in 2022, 10 were. Last year, from May to September, 19 people were admitted to the Regional Burn Center at UC Davis.
“We're already almost there, and we're only in July,” said Tina Palmieri, division chief for burns at UC Davis and Shriners Children's Hospital. She said the recent high temperatures in the region create superheated surfaces, bringing concrete up to 120 degrees, and asphalt and plastic surfaces up to 140 degrees.
A recent analysis by the New York Times found much of Sacramento’s land surface exceeds 120 degrees on hot days.
“We're seeing a lot of people getting burned by things that are hot in the summer that aren't normally hot year round, such as from the pavement or from the slides,” she said.
Palmieri says the two groups most at-risk for burn injuries are people with diabetes and people who are using substances.
For some people with diabetes, “they have peripheral neuropathies. They don't feel the heat because that neuropathy has affected their nerve endings and so they get the burns and they don't realize it until they actually get indoors,” she said.
The other group they see are people who pass out in the heat after using drugs or alcohol.
“If they're down for a long time on the hot pavement, that can be a real issue, with dehydration causing multiple organ failure,” she said.
Other areas are also experiencing high numbers of injuries related to hot pavement. Last year, 136 people were admitted to the Arizona Burn Center at Valleywise Health Medical Center in Phoenix for contact burns, an increase of more than 50 people from the year before.
To stay safe, Palmieri recommends all people stay hydrated, wear shoes, and stay in the shade.
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