Sweltering summer days put Arizonans at risk of dangerous burns » Yale Climate Connections

On a sweltering summer day in Arizona, the sun beats down on sidewalks and roads. In that direct light and intense heat, those surfaces can become extremely hot.

Foster: “It’s not unusual for black asphalt or concrete pavement to get to temperatures of 160 degrees Fahrenheit on a hot summer afternoon in Arizona.”

Kevin Foster is the director of the Arizona Burn Center at Valleywise Health.

He says touching anything that hot can cause serious burns very quickly.

Foster: “If you step on it with your bare feet, by the time you figure it out that it’s hot, you’ve already suffered a second-degree burn.”

Foster says those most at risk include kids who run barefoot, elderly people who suffer neuropathy in their feet, and people with substance abuse issues who might fall and then spend minutes or even hours on the ground.

In 2022, the Burn Center treated 85 people for these kinds of contact burns, with seven dying from their injuries.

As the climate warms, Arizona is seeing more extremely hot days, which could raise the risk of contact burns.

But Foster says people can protect themselves by staying in the shade and being careful what they touch.

Reporting credit: Ethan Freedman / ChavoBart Digital Media