burn injury law specialists

Chemical Burns

When we think of burn injury, we usually think of fire as being the culprit. But in actuality this is not always the case. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), there were almost 150,000 reported chemical burn cases in the United States in 2003 alone. As the number increases, the awareness of chemical burn prevention and safety is growing. Amazingly enough, most of these reported cases have occurred in the home with everyday products, like hairspray, nail remover and the like.

A burn usually occurs with the misuse of a certain product; the chemical in a bathroom cleaning solution gets into the eye or is ingested. The breakdown of different types of chemical burns is quite interesting. Of the 150,000 reported cases, about 12.5% of them were acid exposures, a third were alkali chemical exposures, a second third were bleach exposures, and about ten percent were peroxide exposures.

Many people assume that when you have been exposed to a chemical, especially those in the household, washing it away with water will be sufficient in keep you safe. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Depending on the corrosiveness of the chemical, spills and burns might require a much more complicated cleaning procedure. It is important to read the labels before handling anything that is chemically dangerous.

Sometimes the fault is not yours. Companies have been known to forget to put a label on the bottle, and as a result many people have been severely injured. If you or someone you know has sustained a burn injury due to negligence of a chemical company, contact the burn injury law specialists at the law firm of Williams Kherkher. They can be reached by phone at 800-220-9341.