A case of chemical burns caused by hexavalent chromium

A 25-year-old man fell with his right lower limb into a pool of 40% hexavalent chromium at room temperature. At first, he showed no symptoms, but one hour later he felt itching along his right leg and went to a nearby hospital, where his left leg was washed with water. He was then referred to our hospital for further treatment. On the first day of hospitalization, only brownish areas of discoloration were noted around the inside of the right thigh and lower leg. In spite of our systemic treatment with N-acetylcystein and dimercaprol and local treatment with 10% ascorbic acid, the patient developed deep dermal chemical burns and those area increased from 1% to 5% . On the 12th day of hospitalization, skin transplantation was performed and the postoperative course was satisfactory. Even though injury to the skin caused by hexavalent chromium may seem minor at first, medical staff should be watchful with regard to such chemical burns since they can take a sudden turn for the worse. Language: ja