Streets and pavement throughout the United States, most notably the Southwest, have become so hot this summer that they're actually burning people, and in some cases severely, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
According to the report, the Southwest has been among the hardest-hit areas, particularly since temperatures there have continuously hit triple digits of late. In fact, burn centers in the Southwest have reported a significant rise in injuries to people whose skin makes contact with surfaces exposed to the sun for prolonged periods.
That includes more obvious areas, such as scorching pavement and streets, and everyday items people may take for granted, such as metal doorknobs and handles.
"We call it pavement burn season," Dr. Syed Saquib, medical director of the UMC Lions Burn Care Center in Las Vegas, Nev., told The Journal.
The report stated that the most severe injuries Saquib and other doctors see are often pavement burns, which have been as harmful, if not more so, as being burned by flames, boiling water, or chemicals.
Saquib said that about a third of his patients in his 16-bed unit are treated for burns from pavement, which can reach 170 degrees on a hot day.
Those most at risk of such burns are those who are unable to get up immediately after falling on the ground, particularly the elderly. Doctors also say that people with conditions that cause loss of feeling in their feet are also at high risk.
Dr. Kevin Foster, director at the Arizona Burn Center, told The Journal, "It's worse than any other summer I've seen."
At this point in the summer, Foster and his team at the center have already hospitalized 50 patients with heat-related contact burns, including two who died. Throughout 2022, the center treated 85 patients for contact-burn injuries throughout June, July, and August, with seven of those patients succumbing to their injuries.
Doctors are advising everyone to stay hydrated and remain indoors as much as possible during particularly hot days, and to make sure they wear shoes, socks, and a hat before venturing outside.
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