Have you ever started your day thinking, “Ahh, coffee!” only to have it turn into “ouch!” as the steaming hot beverage hits the roof of your mouth? If so, you have experienced scalding. Luckily, the scald you experienced was (most likely) mild and, while quite painful, healed quickly and without the need for hospitalization or the prolonged medical treatment that is required for the nearly half a million people who experience scalding each year.
While spilling a hot beverage can cause scalding, it most often occurs when showering, using a hot water faucet, or immersion into a hot tub. Contact with a hot radiator — or other sources of steam and hot water — are also common commercial and residential sources of scalding. The potential for scalding is everywhere hot water exists!