Chemical burn

A chemical burn damages living tissue through contact with corrosive substances like strong acids, bases, or oxidizers, or with cytotoxic agents such as mustard gas, lewisite, or arsine. These injuries follow standard burn classification and can lead to extensive tissue damage. Common irritants and corrosives include acids, bases, oxidizers, reducing agents, solvents, and alkylants, as well as biological toxins like cantharidin and certain chemical weapons, including vesicants (e.g., mustard gas, Lewisite) and urticants (e.g., phosgene oxime).

Such burns may occur without any heat source, appear immediately on contact, or go unnoticed at first. They can be extremely painful, and some substances diffuse into tissue, damaging cellular structures beneath the skin while leaving the surface seemingly intact. Even exposure to a toxic substance insufficient to cause a burn can be serious; the absence of an immediate visible effect does not mean the exposure is safe, especially with chronic exposure.

Symptoms vary by chemical and may include itching, skin bleaching or darkening, burning sensations, trouble breathing, coughing blood, and tissue necrosis. Common sources include sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, lime, silver nitrate, and hydrogen peroxide. Effects differ: hydrogen peroxide removes a bleached layer of skin, nitric acid turns skin yellow, and silver nitrate leaves black stains. Burns can occur through direct contact with skin or eyes, inhalation, or ingestion. Substances that diffuse efficiently in tissue—such as hydrofluoric acid, sulfur mustard, and dimethyl sulfate—may not react immediately but cause burns and inflammation hours later. Hydrofluoric acid, for instance, leaches into the bloodstream, reacts with calcium and magnesium, and the resulting salts can trigger cardiac arrest after penetrating the skin. Chemical burns are common in occupations like chemical fabrication, mining, and medicine.

For prevention, the Superior Health Council of Belgium provides a scientific advisory report on public health policy. It lists products authorized for consumer use that contain caustic substances and outlines the risks of exposure. The report suggests protection measures for consumers and offers recommendations covering the entire chain: product formulation, regulation, marketing, application, post-application, and monitoring.