CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) –Hospitals in the Lowcountry report seeing an increase in surface burns saying this is most likely to occur on the bottom of your feet from the hot pavement or sand. As temperatures rise here, pavement and sand baking in the sun can trap heat, meaning those surfaces become dangerously hot extremely quickly.
“Sand has a low specific heat and that means it doesn’t need to have a lot of sunshine on it for long periods of time for it to get very hot,” said Dr. Mary Hanley, the Medical Director of Wound Vascular and Hyperbaric medicine at Roper St. Francis. “People make the mistake of walking in the hot sand and next thing they know they’re feet our burning. We’ll have patients come in with 1st and second degree burns on the soles of their feet.”
Other popular summer places that can become dangerous quickly are playgrounds, as metal and plastic equipment can reach scorching temperatures. Pools can be dangerous as people are often barefoot, left exposed to the extremely hot surfaces around the pools…