Introduction
After ensuring immediate safety and providing basic first aid, contact your doctor to assess your chemical injury and the substances involved. Your doctor will guide you to appropriate treatment or advise a visit to the hospital's Emergency Department.
Any chemical burn warrants a call for emergency medical help. When in doubt about the injury's severity or the victim's medical condition, always call 911.
Emergency responders are trained to evaluate chemical burns, initiate treatment, and transport individuals to the most suitable hospital.
Emergency personnel may also decide if additional decontamination is necessary for both the injured person and the accident site before heading to the hospital. When contacting emergency services, provide the following information:
- Number and location of the injured person(s)
- Mechanism or nature of the injury (how it happened)
- Accessibility of the victims to emergency personnel (are they trapped?)
- Name, strength, and quantity of the chemical responsible for the burn (if possible, provide a container of the chemical to emergency personnel)
- Duration of contact with the chemical
Self-Care at Home
Begin basic first aid. Call 911 immediately for severe injuries, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, or other systemic symptoms. If you're assisting someone with these symptoms, lay them down and call 911 right away.
- Move yourself or the victim away from the accident site.
- Remove any contaminated clothing.
- Rinse the affected area with copious amounts of water to dilute or remove the chemical, for at least 20 minutes. Be cautious not to let runoff contact unaffected body parts. Gently remove any solid materials, avoiding unaffected areas.
- Particularly, rinse any chemical in the eye. Sometimes, stepping into the shower is the best way to deliver ample water to the eye.
Follow-up
After leaving the emergency department, contact your doctor within 24 hours for follow-up care. Call sooner if new issues or concerns arise.