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Instant soup – often sold as "ramen" in the United States – is cheap, tasty and very popular among starving students. But new research suggests that products can put young children at risk.
According to a study to be presented Monday at the National Conference of the American Academy of Pediatrics, soups cause about a burn caused by burns in children in five. These findings led some experts to question the safety of meals, often in microwaveable cups.
"It's important for us to remember, and for parents, that these are just thin containers containing boiling water," said Dr. Courtney Allen, pediatric emergency researcher at the university. d & # 39; Emory.
"I think there's an assumption that they're safer than soups coming out of a stove," she said, "while in fact they are not. "
Thousands of burns each year
The Allen research team examined more than 4,500 pediatric scald burns recorded over a period of nearly 11 years in the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, a federal database that Tracks injuries related to consumer products. They then looked at data for children aged 4 to 12, such as "instant soup", "instant noodles" and "cup of soup".
The researchers found 972 injuries associated with microwaved products, accounting for 21.5% of all scald burns in their sample. They estimated that instant soups are responsible for nearly 10,000 pediatric burns in the United States each year.
The researchers found that more than 90% of children burned by instant soup had left the emergency department after being assessed. However, burns caused by liquids or water vapor instead of dry heat can sometimes require hospitalization and even surgery.
"To be honest with you, it's a very very common story," said Dr. David Greenhalgh, chief of burns at Shriners Hospitals for Children – Northern California and former president of the American Burn Association.
"They hit [the soup] Greenhalgh, who did not participate in the research. "They may have to come to the hospital for a while or we will teach the family how to care for the burn, or some children. need skin grafts. But I'm not surprised. "
The researchers found that most burns affected the trunk, the body region from the shoulders to the groin, and affected children aged 4 to 7 years.
"I think one of the important things is to identify at what stage of the process children get hurt," said Allen, whose team is planning to observe children carrying fake soup – such as water with paint – to determine exactly which injuries occur.
"Is it because they fire the microwave themselves? Is it because when they walk, they are not coordinated enough and they flip over?" She asked.
Whatever the cause, Allen thinks parents need to be very careful when they let kids handle instant soups. "If you let your kids cook, transport and consume these products independently, they need proper supervision."
When it comes to preventing soup-related burns, Greenhalgh thinks most parents simply do not understand how serious an injury can be. But in some cases, he added, parents can minimize the dangers for convenience.
"Many studies show that parents may be aware of the risks of burns, but sometimes they tend to take shortcuts," he said. "They may know it's a risk, but it's faster and easier, and they hope nothing will happen."
Product design may be to blame
Greenhalgh warns that poor product design can make instant soups particularly dangerous. They often come in fragile paper cups or styrofoam that are heated in the microwave, leaving boiling water in potentially unstable containers.
In a 2006 study published in the Journal of Burn Care and Research, Greenhalgh examined the stability of instant soup containers and found that larger and thinner cups were easier to tip than shorter and denser cups. These results could have consequences for manufacturers who hope to reduce the risk of product-related burns.
"What [companies] should do is to do them like the Yoplait [yogurt] the containers, where they are wider at the bottom and thinner at the top, "said Greenhalgh. It would be a very simple thing to design and modify. "
Nissin Cup Noodles, a widely sold brand, tilted at 21.2 degrees only. Products with wider bases may be inclined more than 60 degrees before tilting.
Maruchan, Nissin and Nongshim, three major instant soup manufacturers, have not responded to requests for comments on new research and their designs have changed little since the 2006 Greenhalgh study.
But some experts believe that Allen's new research should be a warning to the sector. "This should at least make them think about packaging the design of their products," said Dr. James J. Gallagher, director of the Burns Treatment Center William Randolph Hearst at the NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center.
What to do if your child is burned
Curious and increasingly independent children are often at risk of burns, Gallagher said. All parents should know how to evaluate and treat injuries.
"When they start to become mobile and can do things on their own, shining in their own homes and in their own kitchens is the main way to hurt themselves," he said.
If a child is burned, "the most important thing is to take off your clothes" and immediately move the affected fabric to cold water.
All burns do not require medical attention, but some require a visit to the hospital. "After doing first aid, look carefully at the child.If you notice any blisters, the child should definitely be examined by a doctor," Gallagher said.
Emergency rooms and emergency treatment centers can treat injuries, he said, but most instant injuries caused by soup are not life threatening. "Almost always, in these situations, a child will be stable enough to get to a burn center, which is not always the nearest hospital."
And while accidents happen, parents can take simple steps to reduce risk in the kitchen, such as chilling soups before serving, buying more stable containers, and watching over children during meals.
These steps may seem unnecessary, but Gallagher says it's easier to prevent burns than to cure them – something that he hopes more patients will achieve.
"At the burn treatment center, we are supposed to go bankrupt," he said.
The-CNN-Wire
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