Water Decontamination of Chemical Skin and Eye Splashes: Critical Review

Burns of all types result in signifi cant morbidity and mortality. Skin/eye chemical burns are a signifi cant problem. More than 25,000 chemical products including oxidizing agents, reducing agents, and corrosives have been identifi ed as having the potential to cause burns (Liao and Rossignol, 2000). In 2001, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor recorded 5,900 occupational deaths; 8.5% (502 deaths) of these were due to “exposure to harmful substances or environments,” 68,269 nonfatal injuries were due to “exposure to harmful substances or environments,” 25,125 nonfatal injuries involved “exposure to chemicals and chemical products,” and 9,541 chemical burns were recorded (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2004).