Awareness
The risk of chemical burns is often underestimated at home, but they can cause serious injury very quickly.
It can happen in an instant. One minute your child is playing in the garden, and the next they’re screaming in pain after accidentally tipping pool acid onto themselves. According to ER24 Advanced Life Support (ALS) Operations Paramedic Amy Pace, a chemical burn occurs when the skin, eyes, or internal organs are damaged from exposure to corrosive substances including acids, alkalis, and oxidisers.
Unlike thermal burns, chemical burns continue to cause damage after initial contact. Pace explains that severity depends on how long the substance stays on the skin, making immediate removal or neutralisation essential.
“In many cases, the key difference is time,” she says. “The longer a chemical stays on the tissue, the more severe the damage becomes.”
Common household sources of chemical burns
In children, chemical burns are most often linked to everyday cleaning and pool maintenance products, including bleach, oven and toilet cleaners, drain cleaners, pool chemicals, and stronger industrial cleaning agents.
Among the most dangerous are strong alkalis such as drain cleaners, as well as concentrated acids like hydrochloric acid found in some pool chemicals.
Preventing chemical burns at home
Safe storage starts with keeping chemicals in their original containers, which have safety features and clear labels. Pouring them into drink bottles or unmarked containers greatly increases the risk of accidental exposure.
“Something as simple as transferring a cleaning product into a soft drink bottle can lead to tragic mistakes,” Pace warns.
Chemicals should always be stored out of reach and out of sight, ideally in locked cupboards, and never left unattended during use.
Common scenarios include:
- Leaving cleaning products on the floor during use
- Poor supervision around pools or storage areas
- Lack of proper childproofing at home
- Children drinking chemicals stored in cooldrink bottles
- Splash injuries from pool chemicals.
To reduce the risk, Pace recommends using child-resistant packaging, installing cupboard safety locks, and ensuring all chemicals are clearly labelled. Where possible, opt for less caustic alternatives. Medicines, swimming pool chemicals, and household cleaning products should always be stored in cupboards or cabinets out of a child’s reach. It’s also important not to assume containers are fully safe – child-resistant packaging is designed to slow children down, not make products completely childproof.
“Education also plays an important role in teaching children not to touch or ingest unknown substances,” she adds.
What to do in an emergency
- Remove contaminated clothing and rinse the affected skin thoroughly with clean water. Use gloves or a towel to avoid direct contact.
- Skin exposure: Wash continuously with water.
- Eye exposure: Flush the eyes urgently and for a prolonged period to reduce the risk of vision loss.
- Ingestion: Do not induce vomiting. Seek urgent medical care immediately.
Contact ER24 immediately if your child’s airway, breathing, or circulation is affected, or if the child is in a lot of pain or distress.
What to avoid doing
Be aware that incorrect first aid can worsen the injury. Pace warns against common mistakes like trying to neutralise the chemical, waiting too long to rinse it off, putting products on the area before cleaning it properly, or making a child vomit after swallowing chemicals. “These actions can unintentionally increase injury severity,” she cautions.
Potential long-term effects of chemical burns
Severe chemical burns can have lasting effects, including scarring, loss of function, vision damage, and difficulty breathing or swallowing. They may also cause significant psychological trauma.
The severity of the injury depends on the type of chemical involved, how long it stays in contact with the body, and how deeply it penetrates the tissue.
The good news is that most chemical burns in children are preventable. With safe storage, close supervision, and greater awareness, many of these injuries can be avoided altogether – helping keep your children safe at home.