- Author
- Hall, J. R., Jr.
- Title
- Burns and Toxic Gases in Non-Fire Situations.
- Coporate
- National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA
- Distribution
- AVAILABLE FROM: NFPA One Stop Data Shop, 1 Batterymarch Park, P.O. Box 9101, Quincy, MA 02269-9101. Telephone: 617-984-7540, Fax: 617-984-7478, Email: osds@nfpa.org. Website: http://www.nfpa.org
- Keywords
- burns (injuries) | toxic gases | fire hazards | death | smoke inhalation | carbon monoxide | electric current | fire statistics | explosions | asphyxiation | poisons | carboxyhemoglobin
- Identifiers
- non-fire unintentional injury deaths; non-fire deaths; non-fire home deaths
- Abstract
- In 2001, 656 people died of unintentional non-fire exposure to gases. Most of these poisonings by gas historically involve carbon monoxide, which in turn involves inadequately vented equipment, principally motor vehicles or heating or cooking equipment. The risk of death from carbon monoxide poisoning is much greater in a temporary shelter than in any kind of home. Anoxia, which is injury involving oxygen deprivation, accounts for more than 30,000 hospital emergency room injuries per year. More people are killed by deadly gases in fires than in all other unintentional exposures. During 1991-1993, the U.S. averaged an estimated 1,129,000 burn injuries per year that were medically attended or led to at least half a day of restricted activity. To the best of our knowledge, no updated statistics have been developed. Just over 100 people a year receive unintentional fatal injuries from contact with a hot object or substance. Hot tap water accounts for roughly half of these fatal injuries. Burn injuries result in hundreds of thousands of emergency room visits a year. Thermal burns outnumber scalds by roughly two-to-one, but for children ages five and under, scalds outnumber thermal burns by roughly two-to-one.