Your kids are dripping sweat while jumping around in an enclosed bouncy castle. While it’s sweltering in the summer heat, a new study is warning that temperatures inside of the inflatable toy are even hotter.
Parents, don’t just chalk up your kids’ profuse sweating or lethargy to too much playtime. New research is warning that the incredibly hot temperatures in bouncy castles may be putting children at risk of heat stroke and dehydration.
The findings come out of the University of Georgia, where researchers tested temperatures in bouncy castles in July 2015.
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“Heat illnesses like heat stroke can be deadly and occur in children participating in sports, left alone in parked cars, and as our study shows, potentially when playing in bounce houses,” study co-author, Dr. Andrew Grundstein, said in a university statement.
“Children are more sensitive to heat than adults and parents need to carefully watch their children for signs of overheating when active on hot and humid days. Signs there is a problem may include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and flushed, moist skin,” he said.
Last summer, Grundstein and his team set up a bounce house on campus. It was 33C outside and within hours, the temperature climbed to 38C.
When the researchers factored in the heat index – which is air temperature and humidity – the disparity was even worse: the temperature in the bouncy castle climbed to 40C to 47C.
The findings were troubling to the researchers, who are also parents.
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“This research is a preliminary look at something that no one had really examined in the published literature,” Marshall Shepherd, another study co-author, said.
“I knew it was a problem when I watched my child in one on a particularly hot day and our early findings confirmed my suspicions. Hopefully it makes parents more aware of something they probably overlooked,” he said.
WATCH BELOW: With hot weather many people are embracing summer and spending time outdoors. Meaghan Craig looks at what precautions you should take to prevent heat stroke.
In sticky 30C weather, your body is working overtime to cool your system. For starters, your heart picks up the pace to send blood flow to your skin – similar to when you start jogging – and in turn, you’ll sweat in an attempt to cool down.
You feel tired, winded and sluggish; you’re irritable, and it seems like you can’t take a deep breath. If your kids have asthma or other respiratory problems, their symptoms will kick in.
Pay attention to these red flags, experts warned.
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After more time overheating, heat stroke, heat exhausting, fainting or even heat edema, when your hands, feet or ankles swell, could set in. These conditions happen if you overexert yourself while you’re outdoors, Health Canada notes.
Children, seniors, those with respiratory problems and even those who have diabetes are most susceptible to the heat.
Grundstein’s full findings were published this week in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.
carmen.chai@globalnews.ca
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