Hot playground equipment could burn children

Summer temperatures are heating up this week and so is the temperature of playground equipment.

Many people understand the dangers of metal playground equipment but according to the US Consumer Safety Commission, some plastic and rubber equipment also have the potential to give children serious thermal burns.

Companies coat equipment with heat resistant coatings, but it often chips off.

ABC17 recorded the temperature of plastic equipment at Douglass Park in Columbia and found some of it to be at least 140 degrees.

Children’s skin is extremely sensitive so if a parent puts their hand on a slide and it burns, it could probably do a lot more damage to a child.

If your child will be playing on equipment at a park or in the backyard, dress them in appropriate clothing.

They should wear longer pants and shoes in order to avoid burns on those sensitive areas.

The safety commission said equipment has also been known to burn kids even when temperatures are in the 70s, so when the the temperature hits the upper 90s, it’s especially important to keep an eye on playground equipment and your children.