Answers to Sun, Cars and Children
1. (a) According to a study funded by General Motors of Canada, Dr. Oded Bar-Or, a pediatrician and director of the Children's Exercise and Nutrition Centre at McMaster University, found that within 20 minutes the air temperature in a previously air-conditioned small car exposed to the sun on a 35ºC day (95º F) exceeded 50ºC (122º F). Within 40 minutes the temperature soared to 65.5ºC (150º F).
2. (c) 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 occurs when the body's core temperature reaches 40.5º C (105ºF).
3. (a) 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.
4. (c) 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.
5. (c) "It is never safe to leave a child alone in a vehicle, even for a few minutes," warns Canada Safety Council president Jack Smith. "Vehicles are simply not a place for children to play or to be left unattended."
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