Too Hot to Handle: How instant noodles are sending children to hospital

It’s a favourite snack and it is convenient. Piping hot instant noodles might save parents some time but at what cost? They aren’t as harmless as you think. They are causing burns among children and it is a regular occurrence. The low-cost dish that can be served within minutes is responsible for almost a third of childhood burn injuries, according to a study published by the University of Chicago researchers in the journal “Burns”. The study conducted by researchers at the university’s burns centre looked at data from pediatric patients admitted with burn injuries over 10 years, between 2010 and 2020 in Chicago, United States. It examined 790 cases and found that 245 involved instant noodles – that’s 31 per cent of all cases. The research included patients admitted to the university’s burns centre but the phenomenon is not uncommon. “Anecdotally, it felt like every other child we were consulted on for a burn was injured by instant noodles, so we wanted to dive into the data to see what the trend really was,” senior author Sebastian Vrouwe, assistant professor of surgery at UChicago Medicine, said in a statement. He said that he did not expect instant noodles to be such a significant cause of burns. “We were surprised by the sheer magnitude of the problem, which confirmed that focused effort and awareness on these types of burns could have a significant impact in the communities that our burn centre serves,” Vrouwe said. How do noodles cause burns? The amount of heat generated by heating the noodles can cause second and third-degree burns in anyone, Vrouwe explained. Children, of course, are the most vulnerable. “Young children are particularly vulnerable due to their relatively smaller bodies and thinner skin,” he said. According to researchers, the starchy liquid that forms when instant noodles are cooked leaves unique patterns compared with a hot water burn. This can lead to hospitalisation. In severe cases, surgery like skin grafting is required. [caption id=“attachment_12145442” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Researchers say that burns caused by instant noodles can be so severe that surgery such as skin grafting is required in some cases. Pixabay[/caption] Who is most vulnerable to noodle burns? The research found that children left unattended – who made their own noodles when parents were not around – were at a higher risk of getting burns. Forty per cent of noodle burns were recorded in children who were not under the supervision of adults. According to the study, certain children were more likely to experience burns than others. Patients with burns from instant noodles were more likely to be Black and from low-income areas. The cases were found in children with an average age of 5.4 years. This is an age “at which children are able to attempt to prepare instant noodles, but not old enough to do so safely”, researchers said. Also read: Going gourmet with Maggi is worse than Madhuri Dixit calling it healthy What can be done to prevent burns? Adult supervision is a key preventive measure to reduce burns from instant noodles and other foods. “Direct caregiver supervision is one important step in burn prevention,” Vrouwe said. Kyran Quinlan, a paediatrician who has researched childhood burn injuries, told CNN that “this mechanism of child scald” was common, adding that burn units across the US see such cases frequently. “Young children cannot and should not operate a microwave without supervision,” he told the publication via email. The doctor also said that “child-resistant” doors on microwaves could help prevent burns among children. Such microwaves will be available for sale in the US from March, CNN reports. [caption id=“attachment_12145452” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Instant noodles are a low-cost meal. The cases of burns are higher come Black children from low-income families. Pixabay[/caption] Have there been previous warnings? Yes, this is not the first research that points to how dangerous instant noodles can be. Even instant soups cause similar burns among children. Microwavable noodle and soup products are responsible for one in five scald burns that send children to the emergency room every year, according to research presented at the 2018 American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference. “Scald burns are a major cause of preventable injury among children, and our research found that instant soup spills are responsible for a large number of these painful burns,” Dr Courtney Allen, the study’s author, had said. Allen and her team examined the US National Electronic Injury Surveillance System data from 2006 to 2016 and found that the injuries were the most among children aged four and 12. They studied children with burn injuries caused by microwavable instant soup, instant noodles, a cup of soup, or the hot water used for making noodles, according to a Buzzfeed report. The most commonly burned part of the body was the torso, accounting for about 40 per cent of injuries, followed by the lower extremities, such as the legs and feet, and then the upper extremities, including the arms and hands. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News,  Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.