Comparative Analysis of Facial Injuries From Electric and Gas Stoves: A National Electronic Injury Surveillance...

Injury from household stoves can be a significant public health issue, with the potential to cause severe harm from both electric and gas stoves. This study aims to compare the prevalence and types of facial injuries with other types of body injuries, as well as age-and gender-related injuries, resulting from electric and gas stoves, using data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database. Data from NEISS showed that gas stove incidents resulted in 102 facial injuries, accounting for 46.2% of all gas stove-related injuries by body part. In contrast, electric stoves were associated with 349 hand-related injuries, comprising 60.6% of all electric stove-related injuries. Further analysis revealed that children up to five years old are disproportionately injured by stoves, totaling 315 cases, which represents more than six-fold the number reported in the six to 10-year age group (n=47). It was found that boys experienced a peak in stove-related burns in 2020, likely attributed to the American lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The remaining burn injuries remained relatively stable over the 10 years. The higher incidence of gas stove-related facial injuries can be explained by the long-range burning effect of flames produced by gas stoves. Meanwhile, the hand-related injuries from electric stoves can be attributed to the curiosity of young children using their hands to explore their environment. The findings indicate that implementing advanced stove-safety features, along with proactive measures by households and healthcare providers, can substantially reduce stove-related injuries and foster a safer living environment for all members of the household.