Parts of the United States are having record snowfalls and many families are using gas fireplaces, but a Dallas doctor warns they pose a hazard to children.
Dr. Douglas Baker, a pediatrician and emergency department physician at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, said that while gas fireplaces are convenient and provide instant warmth more children are burning themselves by touching the glass doors.
"Young children, especially those younger than age 2, are explorers and often unsteady on their feet," Baker said in a report on the medical center Web site. "Children can burn themselves by falling toward the gas fireplace and pushing against the hot glass for balance."
Baker also warned that children might touch hot glass out of simple curiosity. It takes only seconds for a child to be seriously burned, and children can still be harmed after the burner has been turned off and the glass is cooling, Baker said.
Parents should never leave children unsupervised near fireplaces, and barriers should be erected to keep youngsters at a safe distance, the doctor said.
Dr. Douglas Baker, a pediatrician and emergency department physician at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, said that while gas fireplaces are convenient and provide instant warmth more children are burning themselves by touching the glass doors.
"Young children, especially those younger than age 2, are explorers and often unsteady on their feet," Baker said in a report on the medical center Web site. "Children can burn themselves by falling toward the gas fireplace and pushing against the hot glass for balance."
Baker also warned that children might touch hot glass out of simple curiosity. It takes only seconds for a child to be seriously burned, and children can still be harmed after the burner has been turned off and the glass is cooling, Baker said.
Parents should never leave children unsupervised near fireplaces, and barriers should be erected to keep youngsters at a safe distance, the doctor said.
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