Beauty device child safety warning
Thursday June 14th, 2012
A nurse has found a new use for hair straighteners - frying eggs.
Burns nurse Caroline James is set to run a demonstration of the new technique and she has a serious purpose.
Her aim is to warn parents just how hot hair straighteners are - and the threat they pose to children.
At the burns service in Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, UK, the nurse says a number of children have needed treatment for serious injuries caused by straighteners.
The hospital says they are the third leading cause of serious burns - after hot drinks and hot food. Some 110 injuries have been recorded in five years.
The egg-frying is set to be the highlight a child safety day in Bristol to be held on Saturday in advance of Child Safety Week.
NHS Bristol will also be selling cut-price hair straightener safety pouches.
Nurse James said: "Young children can easily pick up or accidentally step on a hot pair of hair straighteners left on the floor and these burns can be quite deep, perhaps even cause permanent scarring.
"We have seen a number of these burns injuries at Frenchay Hospital's South West Regional Paediatric Burns Service but there are many more children who suffer these types of burns that do not require hospital treatment.
"We hope this special event will help to raise awareness amongst families of the potential risks of household appliances like hair straighteners."
Tags: A&E | Child Health | UK News
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