Date:   7/29/2006 11:50:12 AM ( 19 y ago)
Hits:   3,009
URL:   https://www.curezone.org/forums/fm.asp?i=364057

Unyquity, I hate to contradict you...but actually, a strong acid OR a strong alkaline can both result in chemical burns. If you throw up bile it can burn your throat and esophagus and if you have a heavy dump of bile in your bowel movements you can feel a burning sensation (been there for both...not pleasant!). That's why it is important to be careful and avoid skin contact with ammonia and lye...they are both strong alkalis and will cause chemical burns and skin irritation. Same is true for hair dyes, permanent solutions and hair straighteners...and I can tell you from personal experience that they can result in 2nd degree scalp burns! Years ago a hair salon had to cough up $500. in damages to me because of an incompetent colorist that burned me with hair bleach that resulted in a trip to the emergency room and an old Sinead O'Connor 'hair' cut! (I worked at a law firm at the time...it wasn't the professional image they had in mind and they were happy to go after the salon!)

The following info is taken from http://www.burnsurgery.org:

Alkali

Multiple chemical agents are involved in caustic alkali burns. Lime, potassium hydroxide, and sodium hydroxide are the most common agents causing chemical injury. Accidental injury occurs in infants and toddlers. Among chemical burns, alkali injuries occur frequently and are likely to cause severe symptoms. The mechanism by which these alkali injuries are caused is due to three factors:

saponification of fat causes fatty tissue to lose its function with increased damage due to heat reaction.
extraction of water from cells causing dessication
bind with the proteins of the tissues to form alkaline proteinates.
The extent of the damage caused by an alkali substance depends on its concentration, amount, and time of contact with the skin.

As with other chemical burns, alkalis are capable of deep penetration, and can cause severe pain. For treatment, it is necessary to remove the causative substance as quickly as possible by washing with large volumes of water. Washing is presumed to cause dilution and elimination of a chemical substance.

The initial treatment for burns caused by strong alkaline solution is copious irrigation with water. Water may dissipate any heat by dilution so as to prevent further damage. In lime burns, the dry lime must be brushed away before washing in order to minimize the production of heat. The most readily available material for removing a chemical agent is water, and it is extremely important to remove a chemical agent as

rapidly as possible. Washing with large quantities of water is the preferred treatment. It is very difficult to determine the depth of tissue damage on admission. The corrosive material blackens the skin, rapidly converting it to a hard, dry eschar.

Ocular damage is a common sequel to alkali injury. Damage is related to the pH: the higher the pH, the greater the damage to the eye. The corrosive agent trickles down the eyelid and enters the acanthi. Alkalis penetrates quickly and, with little resistance.

Such damage may be made worse by repeated attempts to wipe off the chemical agent with the hands or inadequately washing the eyes. The policy is to treat with topical anesthetics followed by copious irrigation, inducation of cycloplegia and mydriasis as soon as possible.



Treatment -- Alkali Burn

brush off any alkali powder (i.e. lime)
copious irrigation with water
reassess to determine depth
monitor body Temp. to keep warm



 

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