| Chemical burn | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Acid burn |
 | |
| Chemical burns caused by exposure tomustard gas during theFirst World War | |
| Specialty | Emergency medicine,plastic surgery,dermatology |
| Symptoms | itching,bleaching ordarkening of skin, burning sensations,trouble breathing,coughing blood or tissuenecrosis |
| Complications | Depends on the severity |
| Causes | most common include:sulfuric acid,hydrochloric acid,sodium hydroxide,lime,silver nitrate, and greater than 5%hydrogen peroxide solutions. |
| Treatment | Depends on the chemicals being exposed |
Achemical burn occurs when living tissue is exposed to acorrosive substance (such as a strongacid,base oroxidizer) or acytotoxic agent (such asmustard gas,lewisite orarsine). Chemical burns follow standardburn classification and may cause extensive tissue damage. The main types of irritant and/or corrosive products are: acids, bases,oxidizers and reducing agents,solvents, andalkylants. Additionally, chemical burns can be caused by biological toxins (such asanthrax toxin) and by some types of cytotoxicchemical weapons, e.g.,vesicants such as mustard gas and Lewisite, orurticants such asphosgene oxime.
Chemical burns may:
Exposure to atoxic substance that is insufficient to cause a chemical burn can still be very serious, and the lack of a noticeable effect from a chemical exposure is not an indication of safety, particularly in the case ofchronic exposure.
The exact symptoms of a chemical burn depend on the chemical involved. Symptoms include itching,bleaching or darkening of skin, burning sensations,trouble breathing, coughing blood and/ortissue necrosis. Common sources of chemical burns includesulfuric acid (H2SO4),hydrochloric acid (HCl),sodium hydroxide (NaOH),lime (CaO),silver nitrate (AgNO3), andhydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Effects depend on the substance; hydrogen peroxide removes a bleached layer of skin, while nitric acid causes a characteristic color change to yellow in the skin, and silver nitrate produces noticeable black stains. Chemical burns may occur through direct contact on body surfaces, including skin and eyes, via inhalation, and/or by ingestion. Substances that diffuse efficiently in human tissue, e.g.,hydrofluoric acid,sulfur mustard, anddimethyl sulfate, may not react immediately, but instead produce the burns and inflammation hours after the contact. Chemicalfabrication,mining,medicine, and related professional fields are examples of occupations where chemical burns may occur. Hydrofluoric acidleaches into the bloodstream, reacts with calcium and magnesium, and the resulting salts can causecardiac arrest after eating through skin.
In Belgium, the Conseil Supérieur de la Santé gives a scientific advisory report on public health policy. The Superior Health Council of Belgium provides an overview of products that are authorized in Belgium for consumer use and that contain caustic substances, as well as of the risks linked to exposure to these products. This report aims at suggesting protection measures for the consumers, and formulates recommendations that apply to the different stages of the chain, which begins with the formulation of the product, followed by its regulation, marketing, application, post-application and ends with its monitoring.[1]
