The ten-percenters: The hot, hot men who pinch copper

For young and youngish men of a certain disposition (regarding copper), these are exciting times, as this medical report attests. The report is: “Electrical burn injuries secondary to copper theft,” J.A. Dunne, D. J. Wilks, D.P. Mather, and J.M. Rawlins, European Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery, epub 2015. The authors, at St George’s Hospital, London, […]

Toilet Tragedy: Smoked Butt to Burned Butt

A cautionary report: “A Rare Form of Burn Injury Sustained During Defaecation,” O. Nahlieli,A.M. Baruchin, E. Eliava, and L. Rosenberg, Burns, vol. 25, no. 5, August 1999, pp. 463–4, DOI 10.1016/S0305-4179(99)00019-4. [AIR 16:2]. The authors explain: A 20-year-old painter, soon after concluding his work, poured residual thinner fluid into a toilet without flushing it. After […]

Thankfully atypical burn #5

Bathtubs Methane build-up is not uncommon in sewage systems. Normally, a standard bathtub is substantially protected from methane back-leakage by the fluid-filled U-bend connected to the water outlet. But in case of failure, or excessive methane pressure, the gas can leak into the tub. Methane is highly flammable.

Thankfully atypical burn #8

Exploding microwaved eggs “Four of 41 burns from microwave ovens, presented by an international survey in 1986, were due to exploding microwave-heated eggs.” Fortunately though, “…the clinical presentation of a facial injury from an exploding microwave-heated egg is relatively constant and mild.”

Thankfully atypical burn #7

Lime “Burns due to lime, although well reported as a result of occupational exposure, are uncommon in the sports arena.” However, researchers from Morriston Hospital, Swansea, in Wales, do report at least one such case. A lime-induced chemical burn, severe enough to require minor surgery in a football goalkeeper. (Note: Lime as in calcium oxide, […]