Flushing Burns with Water Immediately: A Universal Response to Burn Accidents

Burns are a significant public health concern and one of the most common serious accidents encountered by laboratory researchers. Prompt and effective first aid at the scene is crucial for the subsequent treatment and prognosis of burns. However, there are conflicting guidelines and significant controversies regarding first aid methods for burns, particularly chemical burns. This article examines chemical safety manuals, textbooks, review articles, research papers, and safety data sheets related to burns. Drawing on the author’s extensive experience in laboratory teaching and research, as well as experimental data on the exothermic reactions of hazardous substances in water, this study proposes fundamental principles for emergency response and first aid for burns. The primary principle of emergency response is to eliminate harmful factors from contact with the human body as quickly as possible and to restore the body to its natural state immediately. The general on-site first aid method for burns involves flushing the affected area with a large amount of clean water within a few seconds to a dozen seconds, regardless of the cause. First aid requiring specific conditions should be classified as medical first aid.