Hot? or not??

Any American Idol fans out there?  I followed the show on and off while it aired.  And then came Adam Lambert.  I haven't watched Idol since Adam Lambert - not because he ruined it for me, but because is so good that I'm convinced no one will ever top him.  Then came X-Factor.  I admit, I watched a few of the auditions, and thought, "blah".  That is, until I fatefully heard Melanie Amaro sing while flannel chipping (our term here at home for channel flipping).  I am telling you right now:  Adam Lambert is HOT, but so is Melanie Amaro.  She is a Celine-Mariah-Beyonce-diva all wrapped up in one voice.  If you haven't heard her, just Google her name and watch/listen to a video of her online.  You will be blown away....


So, hot? or not??  We ask ourselves this question when critiquing music/talent shows.  The barista asks us this question when ordering coffee on a warm summer day.  Baby bear asked himself this question while tasting 3 bowls of porridge.  And I'm asking you this question in terms of what you know about fire.


Do you know how hot fire is?  It's about 1200 deg F.  Do you know how hot the glowing ashes of a cigarette are?  About 800 deg F.  Do you know how hot liquids need to be to cause a 3rd degree burn?  The answer is more ambiguous than the first two.  What we DO know, is that hot liquids - such as hot water, coffee, tea, oil/grease, and steam - can burn just like fire.  Hot liquid burns are the #1 cause of burns to children.  Curious kids pulling hot coffee or tea cups down onto themselves.  Active little ones underfoot while an adult cooks in the kitchen.  Toddlers left alone in the bathtub even for just a few seconds, and turning on the hot water.  These are just a few examples.


Agencies from OSHA to NTSI have tested water's ability to burn skin at specific temperatures, and for specific amounts of time of exposure.  There is no magic formula that proves that a liquid at "X" deg F, with a "Y" minute exposure time, will cause "Z" type of burn.  However, what we DO know, is that hot liquids over 120 deg F will more readily cause 2nd and 3rd deg burns compared to those under 120 deg F.  We also know that it only takes a second or two, for hot liquid (over 120 deg F) to cause 2nd and 3rd degree burns.  How vulnerable someone is to a hot liquid burn depends mostly on age -  those under 6 and over 60 being the most vulnerable.  Outside of that, it just depends on what burned you, how long it burned for, your current health, and how soon you received intervention.

So, your prevention tips for the day:  keep your hot water heater set at 120 deg F or cooler;  keep mugs of hot coffee and tea out of reach of curious kiddos;  when cooking, use the back burners first, and keep the pot/pan handles turned in, to prevent you or someone else from catching the handle and spilling the boiling contents on yourself;  make sure that toddlers and babies have constant supervision in the bathtub (use toddler proof faucet knob protectors if needed).  Last but not least, teach your kids early on that hot liquid can burn just like fire.  Know what's hot! and what's not!!