Chemical burns can happen in a wide variety of ways and can have lasting impacts on one’s health. A lot of times, a chemical burn will happen in the workplace, and more than others depending on the industry. One could even sustain a chemical burn from a product defect or misuse of a product. If you suffered a serious chemical burn due to someone else’s negligence, you should contact a burn injury attorney today. 

They will be able to help you get the compensation you deserve if you have suffered from a chemical burn. Before we discuss the causes of a chemical burn, let’s first take a look at a few of the symptoms one might have if they chemically burned. 

When one gets injured due to a chemical burn the symptoms will differ depending on many circumstances, some of these circumstances could be: 

• If the chemical was either swallowed, inhaled, or touched with any part of the skin

• If there were any type of open cuts where the chemical made contact

• The duration the skin was in contact with the chemical that caused the burn

• Location on the body where the chemical made contact 

• The strength of the chemical and the amount that made contact 

• If the chemical was liquid, a solid, or a gas will play a big factor as well 

• What type of chemical caused the burn

As you can see there are many possible ways one’s symptoms might differ from another depending on the situation. Now that we know a few circumstances that could alter the symptoms of a chemical burn, let us take a look at the symptoms themselves. Some might be:

• If the chemical came in contact with the eyes one could lose their vision, or some vision change may occur

• Pain or even numbness of the skin or the affected area the chemical came into contact with

• Burning, redness, and or irritation of the affected area of contact 

• Skin could look dead or possibly black 

Now these were symptoms of when a chemical comes into contact with the skin or eyes. If a chemical was swallowed the symptoms will be different, a few would be: 

• Seizures

• Twitching of the muscles

• Coughing

• Possible headaches or migraines 

• Shortness or loss of breath 

• Blood pressure could drop 

• Cardiac arrest or low heartbeat 

• Dizziness may occur as well 

If you have suffered a chemical burn and believe you have any of these symptoms you should contact a doctor or healthcare professional immediately. Now that we know some of the circumstances that will affect the symptoms of a chemical burn and the symptoms themselves let us discuss the most common causes of a chemical burn in an injury lawsuit. 

As mentioned before, it is usually the misuse of a chemical product that leads to one sustaining a chemical burn. These can occur in the workplace or the household and the chemicals can vary depending on the industry or type of chemical product that was used. Some of the most common chemicals and products that lead to a chemical burn are:

• Ammonia 

• Battery acid, also car battery acid 

• Bleach 

• Cleaners used for swimming pools 

• Drain and various toilet cleaners 

• Fertilizers 

• Cleaners used for metals 

• Some concrete mixes can lead to injury 

• Paint thinners 

• Oven cleaners 

Any person that uses chemicals either in the workplace or their home should know the proper steps to use them correctly. They should also be properly labeled and stored accordingly depending on the chemical for safety. Just touching on workplace chemical burn injuries, as mentioned before some industries have a higher risk of being injured by a chemical burn than others. Some of these industries are: 

• Manufacturing industry 

• Farming or agriculture industry 

• Utilities industry 

• Transportation industry 

• Construction and contracting industry 

• Even the healthcare industry runs a risk of chemical burns

We have already discussed the various symptoms of a chemical burn, but these symptoms are also categorized on how sever they actually were. These are broken up into four different categories:

• First degree – which refers to the first layer of skin 

• Second degree – which refers to the second layer of skin 

• Third degree – which refers to third layer of skin also know as the epidermis and dermis

• Fourth degree – which refers to the subcutis layer of skin, this also can destroy muscles, bones, and tendons

So as we can see there is a wide number of ways one can get injured from a chemical burn and the symptoms will vary depending on the severity. If you were injured due to a chemical burn because of someone else’s negligence either in the workplace or a product defect that occurred, contact a burn injury lawyer today to see how they can help.