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With temperatures expected to hit over 100 degrees next week, continuing into the summer season, health experts are warning about the dangers of hot surface burns.

“Hot pavement burns, hot contact burns has always been a problem in Arizona in the summer months, but they seem to be getting worse,” said Dr. Kevin Foster, burn surgeon and director of the Arizona Burn Center Valleywise Health.

Last summer was one of the hottest in Phoenix history, and across the Southwest, cities saw record heat.

According to Foster, from June to August 2020, the Burn Center had 104 patients admitted with severe contact burns from hot pavement. Thirty percent of those patients needed ICU care, 20% required medical ventilation and almost all required surgery for their injuries, including burn incisions and skin grafting, he said.

Foster said this was a “large increase” from previous years, adding that the average temperature for those months was two degrees higher than the past five years. According to the Burn Center, almost three times as many days recorded excessive heat warnings than the 5-year average.

More: Dangerous heat, unequal consequences

Starting this weekend, temperatures are expected to rise with some parts of the state reaching highs of 117 degrees, according to the National Weather Service Phoenix.

The Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning for south central Arizona from Sunday to Friday, while southwest Arizona is on excessive heat watch from Monday to Friday.

With these hot temperatures it is important to be cautious since hot contact burns are “highly variable,” Foster said.

“We definitely see warmer temperatures which is reflected in hotter pavement, which is leading to more frequent and more severe injuries,” he said.

According to Foster, in many cases, something will happen to an individual that will cause them to “go down and they can’t get up again.” This could be someone outside who gets dehydrated and then suffers from heat frustration or heat stroke.

Foster said other examples include those with medical conditions, such as diabetes and heart problems, those with “traumatic injuries” and intoxicated individuals.

“There are a whole variety of reasons that cause people to go down and prevent them from being able to remove themselves from the exposure,” he said.

Last year, a majority of those admitted had third-degree burns, Foster said.

“It doesn’t take much time to get a full-thickness or third-degree burn when exposed to hot pavement,” he said. “When you look at hot pavement or asphalt at two o’clock in the afternoon in direct sunlight, the temperature (of the surface) is usually somewhere around 170 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit.”

But hot contact burns can come from sources other than pavement, such as playgrounds, gravel, sand, car upholstery, metal surfaces, including handles, and even pool surfaces.

More: Few resources, long distances and a fearless outlook make heat deadlier in rural Arizona

“Everything is kind of fair game this time of year because everything gets really hot,” Foster said.

In 2020, the average patient age was 52 years old and only 16% of all patients were individuals without homes, Foster said.

Those most at risk for hot contact burns include older people and younger children since both have thinner skin, he said. But older people are especially at risk as many have preexisting medical conditions and these can make it more difficult for them to get up and off the hot pavement.

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“Elderly patients are particularly susceptible and particularly difficult to deal with from a clinical standpoint,” since “they don’t tolerate hospitalization and surgery as well as young people,” Foster said.

According to the Burn Center, 38% of last year’s patients were 60 or older.

To prevent hot surface burns, Foster said it is important to simply be aware and recognize that anything outside can get very hot during the summer months. He also said it is important to stay inside since the hottest part of the day is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“I think we found that the peak temperature is at two o’clock in the afternoon,” said Foster. “So that period of time from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. is also particularly dangerous.”

Foster said if you do have to go outside, try not to be alone and make sure someone is with you in case something does happen.

Other precautions the Burn Center advises include wearing sturdy shoes with thick, protective soles whenever walking outside, never leaving your child or pet in a car, using hats and sunblock and reapplying after swimming or after sweating.

If you have a history of falling, the Arizona Burn Center advises to keep a towel or blanket with you so it can be rolled underneath to prevent burns if you fall and are unable to get up.

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Reach breaking news reporter Olivia Munson at [email protected] or on Twitter @munson_olivia.

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