Burn Exposure Chart

 

In 1992, 13 children ages 14 and under died from scald burn-related injuries.

 
EXPOSURE TIME TO RECEIVE A SEVERE BURN

Celsius
Temperature
Fahrenheit
Temperature
2nd Degree
Burn
No
Irreversible
Damage
3rd Degree
Burn
Full
Thickness
Injury
45° 113° 2 hours 3 hours
47° 116.6° 20 minutes 45 minutes
48° 118.4° 15 minutes 20 minutes
*49° *120° 8 minutes 10 minutes
51° 124° 2 minutes 4.2 minutes
55° 131° 17 seconds 30 seconds
60° 140° 3 seconds 5 seconds

*Activation temperature = 120° max
(response time is less than 5 seconds)The above table shows that a person will receive a second degree burn in 3 seconds of exposure and a third degree burn in 5 seconds of exposure to water of 140°F. A maximum temperature of 120°F at the discharge outlet will ensure the most safety for users.

The American Journal of Public Health prefers a maximum temperature of 120°F for hot water.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission and the plumbing industry have published a voluntary standard which states that the maximum allowable temperature at the water outlet to the bathing area should be 120°F.

There are national standards set forth by the major plumbing code making bodies, which specify a maximum temperature of 120°F for delivered hot water.  The major code making bodies include:

Other nationally recognized plumbing code bodies that have published or proposed standards specifying 120°F as the maximum allowable discharge temperature include:

American Society for Testing & Materials (ASTM F444-88) Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Scald-Prevention Devices and Systems in Bathing Areas.

American Society of Sanitary Engineers and Plumbing Manufacturers' Institute(ASSE 1016) - Individual Thermostatic Pressure Balancing and Combination Control Valves for  Bathing Facilities.

American Society of Sanitary Engineers and the Plumbing Manufacturers' Institute(ASSE 1062) - Temperature Actuated Flow Reducers for Individual Fixture Fittings.  Passed the ASSE Standards Committee - April 26, 1996

Other organizations that specify a maximum of 120°F for delivered water temperature include:

REFERENCES:
www.ameriburn.org/Preven/Scald%202000%20Web.pdf 
http://www.medal.org/docs_ch38/dantisca_ch38.03.html

ORIGINAL SOURCE:
Moritz AR Henriques FC Jr. Studies of thermal injury II:
The relative importance of time and surface temperature in the causation of cutaneous burns. Am J Pathol. 1947; 23: 915-941.

ALSO CHECK THE FOLLOWING SOURCES:

Purdue GF Hunt JL. Chapter 10: Burn injuries. pages 105-116. IN: Ludwig S Kornberg AE (editors). Child Abuse A Medical Reference Second Edition. Churchill Livingstone. 1992.

Rivara FP Grossman DC Cummings P. Injury Prevention. N Engl J Med. 1997; 337: 613-618.

 

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