Valley doctors warn parents about dangers of hot pavement

PHOENIX - A Valley doctor says he's seeing more children with serious burns to their feet this summer.

Dr. James Reingold is a physician at Cardon Children's Medical Center and has a warning for parents.

"We'll always see something where you're in a park, the children have their shoes off because they're running in the grass. They see the car they run to the car and they burn their feet," he said.

So, we measured the surface temperature of a sidewalk in the midday sun. Our laser thermometer registered nearly 140 degrees.

That kind of heat can give a child second degree burns on their feet or hands, and that's exactly what Dr. Reingold is seeing.

"Most of them are screaming in pain. It's a very upsetting thing to have to take care of," he said.

He sees children who fall off their bikes, only briefly touching the pavement.

A few seconds is all it takes for young, thin skin to burn.

Reingold said stepping onto hot pavement isn't the only problem. Even hot car seats can burn a child's skin.

"Occasionally we will see the type of contact burn where the metal is burning their thighs," he said.

Reingold said if your child suffers discomfort after stepping on hot pavement, concrete or a car seat, keep watch on them.

"It may not always look serious at first, but burns sometimes take time to show on the skin," he said.