Your car can become an oven in 10 minutes
You'll only be a few minutes, you think. Just long enough to run in for a box of diapers or a carton of milk. Surely you can leave the kids, or the dog in the car that long without worrying about them.
Well don't. Emergency room physicians are reminding us that our cars can become hothouses, 
even 130-degree ovens in as little as 10 minutes when outside temperatures are as pleasant as 80 degrees.
Such temperatures can quickly be deadly to children and pets. And it happens every year. Harried grownups are sure their errands will be quick, but they're not. Or worse, they forget the kids are even in the car, and they park for work, only to realize too late that they forgot to drop them at day care.
UPDATE: A local example of exactly this phenomenon occurred recently in Ellicott City, when a 23-month-old child was left in the family car, in the driveway, all day. She died of heat stroke.
UPDATE 2: The state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is also reporting the death of an elderly Prince George's County man, found inside a dwelling where the temperature had climbed to 99 degrees. His death was complicated by cardiovascular disease, health officials said.
A study published in the journal Pediatrics in 2005 found that even when it was 72 degrees outside, the temperature increase inside the car can put children at risk for hyperthermia, reaching 117 degrees. And "cracking" the windows 1.5 inches made no significant difference, either in the speed of the temperature increase or the final temperature.
Here's more from Dr. Nick Jouriles, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians.:
“Putting it bluntly, leaving your child in a hot car is like leaving your child in a lit oven,” he said. “The most important thing to know is that it does not have to be brutally hot outside for it to be brutally hot inside the car. Be especially careful if you are sleep deprived or experience changes in your schedule or your child is in the back seat, making it more difficult for you to see.
"A vehicle’s window will act like a greenhouse, trapping sunlight and heat inside with no ventilation. A car parked in direct sunlight can reach up to 131 degrees inside while the outside temperature is a tolerable 80 degrees. Also, it’s very important to note that this isn’t a gradual, but rather a rapid increase in temperature. In warm weather, a vehicle can reach dangerous, life-threatening conditions in only about 10 minutes.
"A child’s body temperature can go as high as 106 degrees Fahrenheit in that time and it often is fatal. Specifically, these extreme conditions can cause damage to the brain and other vital organs, as well as heat stroke, dehydration, and seizures among other things."
· Never leave children unattended in a vehicle.
· Never let your children play in an unattended vehicle.
· Make a habit of looking in the vehicle before you get out.
· If your infant or young child travels in a rear-facing car seat or the back seat, keep a reminder for you in the front seat, for example, a stuffed animal.
· Always lock the doors and keep any keys out of reach from children.
· If you see a child left alone in a hot vehicle, call the police. If they appear in distress, don’t hesitate, get them out as quickly as possible, cool the child rapidly and call 911or your local emergency number.
Symptoms of heat stroke include a strong rapid pulse, a throbbing headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion and disorientation.For more information on this or other health related topics, please go to www.emergencycareforyou.org or check out our You Tube Channel at EmergencyCareForYou Videos.
Comments
That was an good and timely article. Thanks for reminding folks!
Yesterday I called 911 regarding a dog left in a car in a Walmart parking lot. It took the police 20 minutes to respond (I'm sure it would have been much quicker had it been a child) but they did respond. After showing the officer where the car was located I left. 30 minutes later I went back just to see if the car was still there. What I saw was the woman in the car, a FULL cart of merchandise, and the officer writing.
He said the dog was OK.
Does anyone know how big the fine is in cases like that? I hope it's big enough to teach people a lesson!
Posted by: Kittysmom | June 30, 2009 8:31 AM