My beautiful sister-in-law, Michelle, recently shared with me an alarming article she read in a publication by Children's Hospital Boston.
Children's Hospital Boston's Division of Emergency Medicine published a study in Pediatric Emergency Care that examined glass table injuries in children. They conducted a review along with Consumers Union which found that "glass-table injuries to children were alarmingly higher than previously thought, and that there is a consensus among ED physicans that many of these injuries would have been avoided if a safer type of glass was used."
As a result, industry leaders published new standards that recommend the use of tempered glass when producing glass tables (such as coffee tables). Tempered glass is four to five times strong than standard glass. It breaks into small fragments with dull edges, which is "far less harmful than the large, sharp shards that come from standard glass-tables." "To have industry standards to be changed so soon after we published the study is a blessing and a testament to the importance of research," says Amir Kimia, MD, of the Children's Division of Emergency Medicine, who led the study. She claims, "It's my hope that the next glass-table injury I see in the ED will be my last."
Michelle was smart and decided to take action! She simply replaced the standard glass on her coffee table with the recommeded tempered glass. She now feels much better about the safety of her children! With a glass top coffee table myself, I will be taking action soon!
Note: You can get beveled tempered glass
I really hope that those with children will make this a top priority! It took Jackson cracking a flashlight on my glass table top to make me go ahead with it. I'm so thankful that he didn't get hurt! Thanks for spreading the word to your readers!
ReplyDelete