A state-wide analysis of pediatric scald burns by tap water, 2016-2018

Unsafe tap water temperatures (>120 °F) are a risk factor for pediatric burns, which may disproportionally impact low-income, urban communities. We sought to estimate the incidence and demographic characteristics of tap water burns and their association with housing characteristics.

We performed a secondary data analysis to summarize emergency department discharge records from 2016 to 2018 involving children <18 years with an ICD-10-CM code for tap water burn (X11), and town-level housing data from the American Community Survey. Unpaired student's t-test and spearman's correlation analysis were performed for comparative analyses.

A total of 146 tap water burn visits were identified, representing an incidence of 2 per 10,000 ED visits. The majority of cases were male, non-Hispanic White, of public insurance type, and from an urban CT town. The median age was 3 years, with 58% of cases <5 years. Towns with at least one tap water burn had a significantly higher average percentage of multi-family unit and renter housing as compared to towns with no tap water burns (p < 0.0001).

Our results identified a significant number of tap water burns in children. Primary prevention efforts targeting education or regulation of water temperatures may work to reduce burns in underserved areas.