OKLAHOMA CAPITOL—  To All Media Representatives:  The Oklahoma Department of Human Services would like to ask your help in keeping the message out front about not leaving children in hot vehicles and to check on elderly or shut-in neighbors and relatives daily to make sure they are cool and hydrated.

Under the 90 degrees Fahrenheit plus heat of the Oklahoma summer sun the temperature inside an automobile, with windows slightly open, can rise more than 40 F in about 30 minutes taking the temperature to 120 degrees -- and more than 160 in under one hour.

A home without air conditioning or good ventilation can be just as dangerous for the elderly and shut-ins.

Because of its small body mass, a child’s body heats up three to five times faster than an adult’s, which puts a child at much greater risk of serious injury or death quickly.  Medical professionals have stated that a core body temperature of 107 F is most often lethal.  That temperature is reached in a child’s body much faster than in an adult.

At the time of this release being written 3:30 p.m., the outside air temperature in the Capitol parking lot was 104 F.  With the windows cracked, the temperature on the meat thermometer in the back seat of Johnson’s vehicle registered 160 F.

There have been nine child deaths in Oklahoma as a result of children being left in or entrapped in automobiles since August 2003.

In the best interest of the whole family, parents or caregivers should not leave infants and toddlers alone in a vehicle – Ever! That’s the best preventative effort anyone can take to protect children.

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