Hot Car Warning

On days that seen almost mild as well as the summer days of searing heat, the passenger compartment of a car can turn into an oven, with potentially deadly consequences.

According to the Canada Safety Council, in the confined space of a car, temperatures can climb so rapidly that they overwhelm a child's ability to regulate his or her internal temperature. In a closed environment, the body, especially a small body, can go into shock quickly, and circulation to vital organs can fail.

According to Dr. Oded Bar-Or, a pediatrician and director of the Children's Exercise and Nutrition Centre at McMaster University, extreme heat affects infants and small children more quickly and dramatically than adults. Because of their size, their core temperature can increase three to five times faster than that of an adult. Heatstroke, or hyperthermia, occurs when the body's core temperature reaches 40.5 C (105^º F).

Dr. Bar-Or's unprecedented study was funded by General Motors of Canada. It found that within 20 minutes the air temperature in a previously air-conditioned small car exposed to the sun on a 35 C day (95º F) exceeded 50 C (122º F). Within 40 minutes the temperature soared to 65.5 C (150º F).

Leaving a window slightly open, or "cracked," did little to prevent the temperature from rising to a level that is dangerous for children, vulnerable adults and pets.

Many parents and caregivers are simply not aware of the risk. The Canada Safety Council says never to leave children unattended in vehicles, and always to keep cars locked while in garages or driveways to prevent children from playing in them.

Data compiled by General Motors show at least 120 children in the US have died in hot, parked cars from 1996 to 2000. In 1999 alone that number was 36. Most were under three years of age. No Canadian data are available. However, the Hamilton incident and others reported across this country clearly indicate this is a problem. In May 2001, GM announced it is pioneering a sensor that sounds an alarm if it detects motion as subtle as the breathing of an infant when the temperature is dangerously high in a parked vehicle.

"It is never safe to leave a child alone in a vehicle, even for a few minutes," warns Canada Safety Council president Emile Therien. "Vehicles are simply not a place for children to play or to be left unattended."