Instant Soup Cups Pose Real Danger
Doctors in burn units around the country report treating severe burns several times a week which were caused by instant soup cups. The soup cups in question are usually noodles in broth, served in styrofoam cups which the consumer either microwaves or fills with already-boiling water. NPR reported earlier this week that they called 12 hospital burn units around the country, and 8 out of 12 of them see burns caused by instant soups multiple times every week. The burns are usually to children or toddlers, and the numbers of these cases tend to go up in the wintertime. The burn unit of a hospital in Washington D.C. reported treating an average of 5 or 6 noodle soup burn injuries per week.
A study in 2007 showed that noodle soups are uniquely able to deliver serious burns, since the noodles cling to skin and result in more severe burns than hot liquid would alone. Another factor in these burn cases is the packaging of certain noodle soups. Those in slender styrofoam cups with a small base, such as Nissin Cup Noodles (one of the cheapest and most popular of these products) tend to be top-heavy and tip over easily.
You can read, or listen to, the NPR report “Why Burn Doctors Hate Instant Soup” here.You can also protect your children from such avoidable injuries by taking precautions and not serving hot soups in unstable containers. Make the soup and then mix in some cool water and pour the soup into a regular bowl with a wide base where it can be cooled by the air and less prone to spilling. Anytime you or a loved one are injured by a product that has a flawed design or unsafe elements, whether automobile tires or cribs, hip replacements or toys with lead paint, call Colling Gilbert Wright for a free case evaluation. Product liability law can be confusing, and we are always glad to help you determine if you have a viable legal claim for damages that result from unsafe products.