Wet cement remains a poorly recognised cause of full-thickness skin burns

In 1993 we published a paper stating that wet construction cement is a poorly recognised cause of full-thickness burns [Injury 24 (1993) 615]. Ten years since publication we re-evaluated cement burns to ascertain if there had been any changes in awareness and incidence. All cement related burns assessed at this unit were reviewed over a three and a half year period. Postal questionnaires were sent to all those affected. Cement burns accounted for 2.2% of referrals to the Burns Unit during this studied period as compared to 1% during the original study. Fifty-one percent of patients stated they were unaware of the risk of cement burns and took no precautions. Eighty-six percent of the burns involved the lower limb. Fifty-three percent of burns affected professional users. Fifty percent had full-thickness involvement with 21% requiring operation. Eighty-eight percent of patients did not notice any warnings on the cement bag or delivery docket and 95% felt warnings should be larger and more obvious. This study has shown that cement burns may have resulted from shortcomings in the information and warnings provided to customers by cement manufacturers.