Car temperatures can be deadly for kids

July 02--Danger comes quickly when children are left in cars.

Fortunately for two St. Joseph boys, a passer-by alerted police when he found them unconscious in a parked car. The 3- and 2-year-old boys regained consciousness in the ambulance, and were released from Heartland Regional Medical Center on Sunday.

The children were found in the Oak Ridge Apartments parking lot around 5:30 p.m. Saturday -- when the temperature in St. Joseph was 97 degrees and the heat index was 108. The National Weather Service has again issued a heat advisory for this week, in effect from noon Tuesday to 7 p.m. Saturday, with the head index expected to reach 100 to 105 degrees.

It's not clear exactly how hot it was inside the car, or why the children were left while their parents were inside. But according to health officials, it doesn't take long for inside car temperatures to heat up, and for kids to feel lasting effects that can often result in death.

"When you close the door, it takes 10 minutes or less for that car to heat up 20 degrees," said Jackie Spainhower, executive director of the St. Joseph Safety and Health Council. "That's about 120 degrees in a closed up car on a day that was as hot as we had last week."

That 10-minute, 20-degree ratio even counts on a day as cool as 72 degrees, she said.

Dr. Cynthia Brownfield, pediatrician at Heartland Health, said the inside of vehicles can reach temperatures up to 125 degrees, even when the windows are cracked. Heat stroke occurs when the body's temperature reaches 104 degrees.

"Kids are very susceptible because their body temperature tends to raise at a much more rapid rate compared to adults," she said. "So kids are definitely a lot less tolerable to those dramatic changes."

Since 1998, 534 children have died from vehicular heat stroke -- seven of which were victims just this year, according to Safe Kids USA. In 52 percent of those cases, the child was simply forgotten by its caregiver.

"The big take-home message is the vast majority of these cases are unintentional, happening to good parents," Dr. Brownfield said. "A mistake can happen any time. So it's really important that all preventative measures be taken."

She recommends "trigger tips," such as storing cell phones or purses in the backseat with the child, or keeping a stuffed animal in the front seat, to remind parents their child is still with them.

Dr. Brownfield also advises parents to keep car doors locked while they're parked in driveways and garages to prevent children from playing in hot vehicles. This activity accounts for 30 percent of deaths related to vehicular heat stroke, according to Safe Kids USA.

Cmdr. Jim Connors, with the St. Joseph Police Department Detective Division, said two adults, ages 24 and 21, were arrested on scene for investigation of child endangerment. He said prosecutors are waiting to review medical records to determine what charges, if any, will be filed. Their identities will not be released until that time, he said.

A third child, who was with the two adults but not in the car, was taken to Heartland as a precaution. Mr. Connors said that child is also doing fine.

The Missouri Department of Social Services is assisting the investigation.

Kim Norvell can be reached at kim.norvell@newspressnow.com. Follow her on Twitter: @KimNorvell.

Copyright 2012 - St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.