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The damage of extreme heat

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13 August 2018

By Bronwen

This summer has been exceptionally hot in the UK and countless warnings have been issued about the dangers of hot cars. In mid 20 degree heat, cars can reach temperatures of over 48 degrees. Most of these hot car warnings have informed us about the deadly consequence of leaving babies and dogs inside but nothing has been said about what kind of objects shouldn’t be placed in hot cars. That may be about to change though as a 57-year-old man from Merseyside was left needing a skin graft after an aerosol can exploded in his hands.

Graham Shwenn, a retired engineer from Halewood, was helping his friend set up a camper when the accident took place.

The spray paint cans had been left on the front seats of his car and exploded as he picked one up, causing metal shrapnel to lodge itself in his body.

Shwenn had to undergo several hours of surgery as well as a skin graft and his wife, Ann, told the Liverpool Echo that the emotional trauma will haunt Graham for a while.

His father, Stanley, 81, said: “It looks as though [Graham] is going to be in the hospital for a while. It is quite serious. It’s not life-threatening, but it is life-changing.”

This YouTube video shows the dangers of leaving cans in cars:

 

 

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