Gas fireplaces may pose a hazard to young children
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Xeragel® (XSO-797) - $16.30When Emma Jones was just nine months old, she burned her hands, forehead and nose on the glass that enclosed her family's gas fireplace, Pioneer Press reports.
The child's injuries required her to have skin removed from her thigh and grafted onto her left hand at Regions Hospital Burn Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. Three years later, the scar healing process has left Emma with barely visible marks on the palms of her hands, although her mother is still affected by the incident.
"She saw the flames and walked up and put both hands on the glass," Stacy Jones told the news source. "Never would I have imagined how fast you can get a third-degree burn."
Health officials warn parents to use extra caution when operating a gas fireplace, particularly when small children are present. According to one hospital director, winter is the season during which the most juvenile burn incidents occur.
A study conducted at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital estimates that approximately 10,000 pediatric burn injuries occur each year in the U.S.
Those who have minor burns may look to scar treatment options such as silicone gel sheeting, which can reduce the appearance of such marks.
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