Second-degree bums

Data not available Vapor (Gas) Irritant Characteristics Not pertinent Liquid or Solid Irritant Characteristics Fairly severe skin irritant. May cause pain and second-degree bums after a few minutes contact Odor Threshold Not pertinent. 

Sufficient to cause pain to personnel if unable to reach cover within 20 s however, blistering of the skin (second degree bums) is likely 0% lethality... 

Tlie reader should also note that tlie risk to people can be defined in terms of injury or fatality. The use of injuries as a basis of risk evaluation may be less disturbing tlian tlie use of fatalities. However, tliis introduces problems associated with degree of injury and comparability between different types of injuries. Further complications am arise in a risk assessment when dealing witli multiple hazards. For example, how are second-degree bums, fragment injuries, and injuries due to toxic gas e.xposure combined Even where only one type of effect (e.g., tlueshold to.xic exposure) is being evaluated, different durations of e.xposure can markedly affect tlie severity of injury. 

Generally, though, when BZ was being tested, the technicians did their best to keep delirious subjects out of mischief and protect them from injury. Unfortunately, one afternoon, an unsteady volunteer lost his balance while under the influence of BZ and fell back against a hot radiator, sustaining a mild second-degree bum to his back. It was just the sort of accident that I (certainly not he) actually welcomed - not too serious, but enough to make the Safety Office nervous. 

Toxicity of EtnO (Ref 17, pp 314—15 Spec MIL-E-52171). Liquid EtnO, concentrated or dilute, when exposed to the skin can cause -severe delayed bums. Short exposures produce mild first degree bums, but prolonged exposures produce second degree bums with the formation of large blisters. Exposure to the vapor results in systemic manifestations and irritation to the respiratory system. Inhalation of ethylene oxide vapors, if. prolonged, results in severe systemic poisoning with the symptoms of nausea, vomiting, headache, dysnea, and diarthea. The anesthetic properties are similar to chloroform, but with pronounced undesirable side and after effects. 

Toxicity Studies by Cheever et al.31,41,45 have indicated that n-Butylamine has caused toxicity to animals. The acute oral LD50 of male and female Sprague Dawley rats is 371 mg/kg. The vapors of n-Butylamine cause irritation to eyes and mucous membranes, as well as irritation and blistering effects to the skin of animals and humans.31,41,45 Workers exposed by direct skin contact to the liquid form demonstrated severe irritation of the skin in addition to deep second-degree bums and blistering. 

Dermal Effects. Dermal effects in humans have been reported after acute exposure to benzene vapors (Avis and Hutton 1993). After a fatal occupational exposure to benzene vapors on a chemical cargo ship for only minutes, autopsy reports on three victims revealed hemorrhagic respiratory tissues, and second degree bums on the face, trunk, and limbs (Avis and Hutton 1993). Skin irritation has been noted at occupational exposures of greater than 60 ppm for up to three weeks (Midzenski et al. 1992). These effects are due to direct contact of the skin with the vapor, and other dermal effects resulting from direct contact of the skin are discussed in Section 2.2.3.2. 

Dermal Effects. In humans, benzene is a skin irritant. By defatting the keratin layer, it may cause erythema, vesiculation, and dry and scaly dermatitis (Sandmeyer 1981). Acute fatal exposure to benzene vapors caused second degree bums on the face, trunk, and limbs of the victims (Avis and Hutton 1993). Fifteen male workers were exposed to benzene vapors (>60 ppm) over several days... 

Dermal contact with lacrimators is very painful (Pinkus, 1978). Erythema and blisters are common. The extent of dermal effects depends on the thickness of the stratum comeum, and the extent of exposure (Blain, 2003). High concentrations can cause first and second degree bums of the skin (Hu et al., 1989 Stein and Kirwan, 1964). No teratogenicity or carcinogenicity has been demonstrated in humans or animals (Blain, 2003 Folb and Talmud, 1989 Himsworth et al., 1971 Upshall, 1973). 

Severe neutropenia occurred in a patient in whom deep, second-degree bums, involving about 50% of the body surface, were being treated with Betadine Helafoam twice a day (16). 

The hazards of a fire above a pool of flammable liquid can be described in terms of thermal radiation intensity and dnration of exposnre. The EPA standard specifies a radiant-heat endpoint of 5 kilowatts per sqnare meter (or 0.12 calorie per second per square centimeter) and a duration of 40 seconds. The thermal dose thus corresponds to 20 joules/cm or 4.8 calories/cm and could cause second-degree bums on unexposed skin, but is unlikely to ignite clothing [26, 27]. 

The EPA equation for the second-degree bum hazard distance at which the combination of thermal-radiation intensity and duration of exposure would correspond to 5000 watts/m and 40 seconds, respectively, is (approximately)... 

Range (km) for production of second-degree bums on exposed skin 0.78 2.1 4.8 9.1 14.5... 

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