title: Water decontamination of chemical skin/eye splashes: a critical review.
abstract: Skin/eye chemical splashes are a significant workplace problem. Initial water decontamination is usually recommended, but there are few well-conducted experimental animal and human studies of efficacy. An extensive review of the literature and other available information sources was performed to define the scope of the problem and critically review the evidence for water decontamination efficacy. Although water decontamination can decrease the severity of chemical skin/eye burns, it cannot completely prevent them. An ideal replacement decontamination solution would be sterile, nontoxic, chelating, polyvalent, amphoteric, and slightly hypertonic to retard skin or corneal penetration of the chemical.
authors.affiliation: Toxicology Consulting and Medical Translating Services, Elk Mountain, Wyoming 82324, USA. ahalltoxic@msn.com
authors.forename: Alan H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Howard I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Maibach
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002057:Burns, Chemical; D003666:Decontamination / Q000379:methods*; D005131:Eye Injuries / Q000139:chemically induced*; D006801:Humans; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D014867:Water