Fire & Burn Injury

Burn Injury causes

In the United States, over 2.2 million people per year sustain burns. Most Indiana burn injuries are not that serious, but major burns can lead to scars, decreased mobility, infection and death. Burn injuries can result from a variety of sources.

Flame burns
Flame burns are the type of burn injury most likely to occur in a building fire. Flame burns occur when contact with an open flame causes direct injury to skin tissue. The burn may be intensified when flames ignite clothing. Natural fibers tend to burn quickly, but synthetic fibers may melt or ignite, further adding to injury. It is because of this danger that standards applying to children’s sleepwear fabrics have been enacted.

Flash burns
Flash burns are a type of flame burn that result from the rapid ignition of a flammable gas or liquid. The body parts involved are those exposed when the gas or liquid ignites, usually the face and hands. Areas covered by clothing are usually spared the severity of a flash burn. An example of this type of burn injury occurs when a person pours gasoline on a trash fire or campfire and is burned by the resulting fireball.

Contact burns
Contact burns result from direct contact with a hot object. The burn injury is confined to the point of contact but can still be quite severe. If a surface is hot enough, even a second of contact can result in a serious burn. Examples include burns from cigarettes, tools such as soldering irons, and cooking appliances.

Scalds
Scalds result from contact with hot liquids. The more prolonged contact with hot liquid, the more severe the burn injury. Accidental scalds often show a pattern of splashing, with burns separated by patches of uninjured skin. Intentional scalds, often found in abuse cases, usually involve an entire body part.

Steam burns
Steam burn injuries most often occur in industrial accidents but can even result from vehicle radiator accidents where the steam erupts at a blistering 195 to 220 degrees. These burns can produce extensive injury because of the high heat-carrying capacity of steam.

Electrical burns
Electrical burns cause heat injury by passing through skin tissue. Electrical burn wounds may look minor on the outside but could be severe on the inside. The most severe type of this burn injury penetrates deep inside the skin.

Chemical burns
Chemical burns result from exposure to caustic substances such as acids and base chemicals including household substances like bleach and drain cleaner as well as industrial materials. These burns may also include eye, lung, or digestive burns. There may not be any visible symptoms in a chemical burn.