OAKWOOD — Playground equipment in the region is reaching dangerously high temperatures, posing a burn risk to children as the area experiences multiple days with temperatures exceeding 90 degrees.
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>>RELATED: Extreme heat alerts extended through Friday
Surfaces were measured at 113 degrees as early as 10:30 a.m., hot enough to cause pain.
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The elevated temperatures on playground equipment are a direct consequence of sustained heat, with area temperatures remaining above 90 degrees for several days.
Even slightly warm playground surfaces can cause injury, and temperatures above 100 degrees are sufficient to induce pain.
Children are particularly susceptible to these burn injuries due to their thinner skin compared to adults.
Oakwood resident Allison Sulivan expressed significant concern about the temperature of the playground equipment.
“My biggest concern was children and equipment and how hot they are. I actually touched the surfaces to check them and make sure going down the slide, little bare legs, little bare arms, it can be too hot,” she said.
Sulivan noted that even after arriving early in the morning, her family was planning to leave just after 10 a.m. because of the heat.
Henry, Sulivan’s grandson, directly experienced the heat on the playground.
“The grass over there is hot and the swings are hot,” he said.
Shriners Children’s Ohio burn surgeon Alice Fagin said even slightly warm playground equipment can hurt.
“In the spring and fall, you can get it. And if there’s a heat wave or anything like that, but yeah, this is very much a summertime issue,” she said.
Fagin added that children are more vulnerable to burn injuries because they have thinner skin than adults.
News Center 7’s Amber Jenkins conducted surface temperature tests on playground equipment in Montgomery County, finding that all tested surfaces were hotter than 100 degrees.
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