Burns Causes & Risks

Causes

Burns can be caused by:

• Heat or flame (thermal burns)
  • Hot foods or drinks such as boiling water, tea, or coffee
  • Hot oil or grease
  • Hot tap water
  • Direct heat such as stoves, heaters, or curling irons
  • Direct flame
  • Flammable liquids such as gasoline
  • Fireworks
• Chemicals (chemical burn)—strong acids or strong bases such as:
  • Cleaning products
  • Battery fluid
  • Pool chemicals
  • Drain cleaners
• Sunlight ( sunburn )
• Electricity ( electrical burn )
  • Damaged electrical cords
  • Electrical outlets
  • High-voltage wires
  • Lightning
• Radiation (radiation burn)
  • Nuclear radiation
  • X-rays
  • Radiation therapy for cancer treatment
  • Tanning beds

Risk Factors

A risk factor is something that increases your chance of getting a disease or condition.

Risk factors for burns include:

• Age: less than four years
• Sex: male
• Low socioeconomic status
• Smoking
• Alcohol use
• Illegal drug use
• Absent or non-functioning smoke detectors
• Substandard or older housing
• Unsupervised or improperly supervised children
• Using tap water hotter than 120°F