SOUTHEASTERN, NC (WECT) - With temperatures rising as we move into summer, many surfaces we come in contact with every day could be dangerous to the touch.
We used an infrared thermometer to see how things were heating up. The swings at an area park we tested were as warm as 150 degrees, and the slide your child plays on was 168 degrees.
Dr. David Hill of Coastal Pediatric Associates explained anything above 120 degrees is just too hot for a person to touch and exposure to scorching surfaces could result in a serious burn.
"You could burn yourself on these things, we advise parents to keep water for example at a 120 degrees or less to avoid scald burns, and that's probably a good place for objects that a child is going to touch," Hill added.
According to Meteorologist Gannon Medwick, Wednesday marks day 19 of a 90+ degree heat wave and there are a couple more days until the heat wave is over.
Hill suggested parents should touch anything before their child gets their hands on it to make sure it's safe, and as always make sure you drink a lot of water if you're going to be outdoors in the heat.
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