How quickly a car parked in the sun becomes dangerous for a child inside.
'29.04.2021'
Source: Time
Over the past ten years, almost 750 children in the United States have died because they were left in a hot car in the sun.
A new study found that a parked car could be dangerous for a child’s life in an hour or two, depending on the weather outside and where it was left, writes Time.
On a hot day, a car parked in direct sunlight can reach temperatures that are dangerous for a child in about an hour. If the car is parked in the shade, then a dangerous temperature level will be established there in about two hours.
The researchers explained that the baby is at risk to his life and health at a time when the body, due to the large amount of heat, loses its ability to regulate body temperature, which leads to organ failure and brain damage, resulting in death. This process begins at temperatures in the car of 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).
To determine how long it would take for a vehicle to reach dangerous temperatures, the researchers parked three pairs of cars - two silver sedans, two silver economy cars, and two white minivans - in direct sunlight and in the shade in a parking lot in Tempe, Arizona. They did this for several days in June-July 2014. Temperatures were measured in each machine, as well as simulations of how this temperature would affect the body of a hypothetical 2-year-old boy.
The study showed that minivans heat up the longest, while economy cars heat up the fastest. But the average temperature inside the vehicle after an hour in the sun was 116 degrees Fahrenheit (47 degrees Celsius); the dashboard, seats and steering wheel were even hotter.
For an hour in the shade, the car was on average heated to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).
This means, according to researchers, that a child’s body temperature in a parked car can reach unsafe levels in about an hour in an automobile parked in the sun, and somewhere in two hours in an automobile parked in the shade.
Children are especially susceptible to heat stroke. Their body temperature rises faster than in adults, because their bodies are less able to cool themselves. In addition, children often do not have the ability to control what is happening or leave the hazardous environment in case of an emergency.
While the actual effects will vary depending on the particular child, it is very important not to leave the children in the car unattended, even for a short time, as this can end in disaster.
