# Third degree burns from liquids? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 19, 2003, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-degree-burns-from-liquids/156161 "2003-02-19T17:41:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eliphalet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eliphalet/32/9563_2.png) [@Eliphalet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eliphalet)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-degree-burns-from-liquids/156161/1 "2003-02-19T17:41:18Z")
I was on my way to work this morning and the local DJ announced that a person was suing Burger King for spilling hot coffee, a la the infamous McDonalds lawsuit of the 1990’s. He commented that this person was pouring her coffee from one cup to another when the lid came off, spilling over her lap and “causing third-degree burns”. Now, I don’t want to start a flame war about the relative intelligence of the complainant. I’m not going there in this forum. What I am wondering about is whether a hot liquid can cause third-degree burns. Recalling from my hazy, fog filled first-aid classes, I thought third-degree burns involved charring of the skin. How can a hot (even boiling) liquid do that? Or is the DJ making things up? Thanks Eliphalet ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-degree-burns-from-liquids/156161/2 "2003-02-19T17:50:42Z")
Third-degree burnd don’t have to involve charring the skin - that’s just what you see when the burn is caused by flames. Third-degree burns are best defined as burns which extend through (and kill) the entire skin thickness. Prolonged skin contact with a boiling liquid can certainly cause that type of burn (if it couldn’t, you wouldn’t be able to use boiling as a method to cook meat). ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-degree-burns-from-liquids/156161/3 "2003-02-19T17:50:57Z")
From _[The Burn Resource Center](http://www.burnsurvivor.com/):_ > [@](#): > > Third-degree burns affect the epidermis, dermis and hypodermis, causing charring of skin or a translucent white color, with coagulated vessels visible just below the skin surface. ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-degree-burns-from-liquids/156161/4 "2003-02-19T23:48:45Z")
I think it’s also worth noting that 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree burns aren’t as common terminology as they used to be (although they are still used). My paramedic text now refers to them as: 1st degree= superficial burns 2nd degree= partial-thickness burns 3rd degree= full-thickness burns. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-degree-burns-from-liquids/156161/5 "2003-02-20T01:24:22Z")
…and it seems to me that this woman who spilled the coffee, unless she was tied down, would have leaped up screaming ‘sonofabitch’ as her survival instinct kicked in. Third degree from this? Nah. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-degree-burns-from-liquids/156161/6 "2003-02-20T01:44:05Z")
Sorry, **ltfire** , but that’s wrong. Scalding liquids can quickly cause a third degree burn, especially when the liquid is spilled on clothing, which holds the heat on the area. I’ve seen and treated far too many of such burns in my time. QtM, MD ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-degree-burns-from-liquids/156161/7 "2003-02-20T01:54:58Z")
You’re right, Doc. Sorry. I was reading into the equasion and assumming it spilled on uncovered skin only. I stand on the ‘sonofabitch’ part. ---
**Author:** ![robertliguori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@robertliguori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robertliguori)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-degree-burns-from-liquids/156161/8 "2003-02-20T02:30:58Z")
Hmm. Would being in a seatbelt qualify as being tied down? ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-degree-burns-from-liquids/156161/9 "2003-02-20T14:26:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eliphalet \* > \*\*What I am wondering about is whether a hot liquid can cause third-degree burns…How can a hot (even boiling) liquid do that? > \*\* \ The OP is of course referring to _aqueous_ liquids, that is, mixtures or solutions made up primarily of water. Reading the question literally, however, the answer is easy. Many liquids can cause third-degree burns. Liquid [molten] iron comes to mind… 🙂 \ ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-degree-burns-from-liquids/156161/10 "2003-02-20T14:33:11Z")
I have a frien whose brother was scalded with hot coffee on the chest. He was rolling on the floor and having difficulties breathing and still now have scars… Sounds like 3rd degree to me… ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-degree-burns-from-liquids/156161/11 "2003-02-20T14:49:53Z")
[Horrible, horrible TRUE story from Snopes.](http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/hotsprng.htm) A story to make your skin crawl . . . or slough off, to be exact. Ugh. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-degree-burns-from-liquids/156161/12 "2003-02-20T14:51:41Z")
> [@](#): > > Reading the question literally, however, the answer is easy. Many liquids can cause third-degree burns. Liquid [molten] iron comes to mind… That is exactly what I thought. Though I was leaning more towards powerful acids, myself. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-degree-burns-from-liquids/156161/13 "2003-02-22T00:06:54Z")
People, people!! **Hot water can cause 3rd degree burns**! This can happen at temperatures as low as 150 degrees! Why do we have this argument every few months, where someone asserts quite vehemently that it’s not possible to get a serious burn from pure liquid water, no matter how hot. I’ve gone to great lengths to debunk that notion, only to see it rear its ignorant head again (the notion, not the OP). Irritably, QtM, MD ---
**Author:** ![X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbe5ce/32.png) [@X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X_Slayer_ALE)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-degree-burns-from-liquids/156161/14 "2003-02-22T00:35:58Z")
Might as well linkk the MacDonald Case [http://caoc.com/facts.htm](http://caoc.com/facts.htm) Then on to the Burn center Link [http://www.grossmanburncenter.org/care/causes.htm](http://www.grossmanburncenter.org/care/causes.htm) > [@](#): > > Third degree burns are caused by prolonged exposure to high heat, intense flames, electrical currents or chemicals. Even water scalds can produce third degree burns, especially in young children and older adults. > > Third degree burns require immediate medical attention. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-degree-burns-from-liquids/156161/15 "2003-02-22T00:49:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \* > \*\*People, people!! **Hot water can cause 3rd degree burns**! This can happen at temperatures as low as 150 degrees! > > Why do we have this argument every few months, where someone asserts quite vehemently that it’s not possible to get a serious burn from pure liquid water, no matter how hot. I’ve gone to great lengths to debunk that notion, only to see it rear its ignorant head again (the notion, not the OP). > > Irritably, > QtM, MD \*\* My child suffered 3rd degree burns to his foot after putting it into a pot of near-boiling water. Twelve years later (now 14) his foot is still (and I presume will remain) a mass of scar-tissue. I’m not arguin’ **Qadgop**. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-degree-burns-from-liquids/156161/16 "2003-02-22T00:50:25Z")
What about extreme cold? If I sprayed Qadgop with a mist of liquid nitrogen, would his skin freeze and slough off? And would this count as a “burn”? ---
**Author:** ![X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbe5ce/32.png) [@X\_Slayer\_ALE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X_Slayer_ALE)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-degree-burns-from-liquids/156161/17 "2003-02-22T00:54:56Z")
\*\* kambuckta \*\* Try googling “scar Tissue remove burn” [http://www.oldetymepharmacy.com/silkfaq.html](http://www.oldetymepharmacy.com/silkfaq.html) ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2003, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-degree-burns-from-liquids/156161/18 "2003-02-22T01:48:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Doghouse Reilly \* > \*\*What about extreme cold? If I sprayed Qadgop with a mist of liquid nitrogen, would his skin freeze and slough off? And would this count as a “burn”? \*\* Yes to both. In fact, liquid nitrogen is sometimes used by dermatologists to “burn off” superficial skin lesions.