The Potential Danger of a Lava Lamp

Various toys pose a hazard to children simply because of their construction and parts. Some items, however, only become dangerous after you use them improperly or mistreat them. Such is the case with lava lamps. Many children love to decorate their rooms with these glowing globs of light. How your child treats their lamp, however, can pose a serious threat to their safety.

Leaving a lava lamp on for an extended period of time can cause it to overheat and become a fire hazard. To avoid this, do not have it on for excessive periods of time and be sure to keep it in a place that is clutter-free. This is to prevent any loose paper around the lamp from catching on fire, should it get overheated. A sign that your lamp is too hot is that the lava liquid has stopped flowing and sits in a large bulb at the bottom of its glass bottle. Do not handle the lamp when it is on to avoid burns that can be minor or severe, depending on how hot the glass lamp has become.

Fortunately, the material inside lava lamps is non-toxic. This means if your child ingests it or gets it in their eyes, it is not a health hazard, but simply an uncomfortable situation.

Never place a lava lamp on a heated stove. There are several police reports citing the death of an individual killed by an exploding lava lamp. The heating mechanism of the lamp is what causes the lava to flow, creating interesting shapes and formations. After the heating mechanism has failed, people have tried to heat the lamp back up by placing it on a hot stove. A dangerous situation is created when the high temperatures of the stove create a pressure inside the glass bottle too great for it to contain. Eventually, the bottle explodes, sending shards of glass flying at lethal speeds in all directions.

If your child has been injured by a lava lamp, contact the Kenosha lava lamp injury lawyers of Habush, Habush, & Rottier S.C. at 866-499-4700 to discuss your case and further legal options.