Petrol--something nasty in the woodshed? A review of gasoline-related burns in a British burns unit.
Petrol (gasoline) is probably the fuel most easily available and widely in use today. Indeed, most households have a can lurking in the garden shed or basement for domestic use. It's chemical properties make it a highly explosive as well as a combustible fluid, a fact that is sometimes poorly appreciated. We looked at the incidence of petrol-related burns seen in our unit over a 2-year period. Nearly 33 per cent of the adult male admissions were petrol-related and 16 per cent were in children under the age of 16 years. The commonest cause of injury was attempting to start or accelerate a bonfire (38 per cent) with only a small number of barbecue injuries (4 per cent). Petrol causes a significant number of burn injuries a year, and particularly worrying were the number of children injured. However, we feel there is a need for greater public education and perhaps stricter control of this substance.
Subregional Burns and Plastic Surgery Unit, City Hospital, Nottingham, UK.
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Wilson
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Bailie
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002056:Burns / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005742:Gasoline; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
D005742:Gasoline