Death from overheating. How long does it take for a car to become a death trap?
A car parked outside on a hot day can turn into a heated oven. Even if it is standing in the shade. But how quickly the interior of the car heats up to deadly temperatures?
How quickly the car heats upod? The answer to this question could be a matter of life or death. Every year you can hear tragic stories about wayward parents whooers locked their kids in their cars and went to run their errands. Meanwhile, the carod left even in the shade after krotkim time turns into a death trap.
The topic was tackled by researchers at Arizona State Uiwersity (ASU) with the co-oWorking with colleagues from the University of Califorani San Diego. They measured the air temperature and someohe surface inside the caroin parked zaroboth in the sun and in the shade. The results of the study appeared in the journal „Temperature”.
Researchers have analyzed how long it takes for the r to heat upoFG typeoin the caroin the hot weather. They tested how the temperature inside the vehicleow affects where the car is left, depending on whether the carod stands in the sun or in the shade. They took roalso considering howob rohe differences would affect the body temperature of a hypothetical 2-year-old child left in the vehicle. Six types were used in the studyoin the carow o roFIGURES.
– We showed what can happen during a shopping trip. We wanted to see what the interior of a vehicle would look like after an hour. This is enough time to make a purchaseow. I knew the temperature would be high, but the results surprised me – said Nancy Selover of ASU.
The results clearly show that it only takes an hour for a child left in a car to die. But after just 20 minutes in the average two-year-old weighing about 15 kilogramsow body temperature can reach 38 deg. Celsius. The longer a child stays in a heated car, the risk of hyperthermia increases.
In the case of a vehicleow parked in the sun during a simulated shopping trip, the average temperature inside the vehicle reached 46 deg C. Celsius within an hour. The dashboard was heated to 69 deg C. Celsius, steering wheel up to 52 st. C., a seat to 50 st. C.
In the case of the vehicleow parked in the shade interior temperatures were slightly lower, but still too high. The temperature in the cabin reached 37 st. Celsius, the dashboard heated up to 47 st. C., steering wheel up to 41 st. C., a seat to 40 st. C. Rodifferences in car sizeow showed what could be expected. Small city cars heated up fastest.
The research was conducted over three days and temperature measurements were taken repeatedly in rotween different times of the day. The air temperature during the testoIn the shade, such a value appears at about two hours in the shade. Celsius
– Our study not only determines the rotemperature differences in vehicles parked in the shade and sun, but also explains that even parking a vehicle in the shade can be deadly for a young child, Selover stressed.
Age, weight, existing health problems and other factors, including clothing, will affect how and when heat becomes lethal. That’s why researchers point out that they can’t accurately determine when a child will have a heat stroke.
In the study, researchers used data to model the hypothetical body temperature of a 2-year-old boy. The models took into account that the toddler would be in a T-shirt, krotic shorts, socks and shoes, estimated roalso, what percentage of his body surface will touch the seat and how this will affect his body heat.
From the model created, it appears that in a car that heats up in the sun, the child’s body temperature rises very quickly. It only takes 15 minutes for it to exceed 37.5 degrees, after poł hour the toddler already has a fever (that is, above 38 degrees). After 50 minutes it is already more than 39 degrees, while after an hour it is almost 40. In the shade, such a value appears after about twooch hours.
– We hope that our research can be used to raise the awareness of parentsoin and prevention of childhood heat stroke in vehicles and to create technology thatora will alert a parentow about children left in the car – stated Jennifer Vanos, head of theown author of the publication from UC San Diego.
