Burn Unit to Microwave Safety with Marla Robinson and Kyran Quinlan


Pediatrician Kyran Quinlan and occupational therapist Marla Robinson witnessed severe scald burns among young children in their hospital’s burn unit. They embarked on an epidemiologic evaluation that turned into a nearly two-decades odyssey to improve microwave safety. They partnered with Underwriters Laboratory, the Consumer Products Safety Commission, impacted families, engineering and design students from Northwestern and the University of Michigan to child-proof future microwave ovens. They describe the challenges and the thrill of eventually seeing safer ovens on store shelves. Epilogue provided by Joe Musso, former Standards Program Manager at Underwriters Laboratory, who was responsible for microwave standards.
Will Consumer Safety Survive Partisan Pandering?


Pediatrician Kyran Quinlan and occupational therapist Marla Robinson witnessed severe scald burns among young children in their hospital’s burn unit. They embarked on an epidemiologic evaluation that turned into a nearly two-decades odyssey to improve microwave safety. They partnered with Underwriters Laboratory, the Consumer Products Safety Commission, impacted families, engineering and design students from Northwestern and the University of Michigan to child-proof future microwave ovens. They describe the challenges and the thrill of eventually seeing safer ovens on store shelves. Epilogue provided by Joe Musso, former Standards Program Manager at Underwriters Laboratory, who was responsible for microwave standards.
Will Consumer Safety Survive Partisan Pandering?