Plaster of Paris – Horrific Injuries (Could this be a spoof)?

Question

This seems unbelievable to me,but it was sent through by our school district administrator.Could it be true?

A recent accident at a school resulted in horrific injuries to a sixteen year old girl. It appears that during an art lesson the pupil submerged her hands in plaster of paris, when it started to get hot she tried to pull her hands out but the plaster had set too much to allow them to be freed. The emergency services were called but she suffered third degree burns to her hands which required the amputation of both thumbs and all but two fingers.

The accident is presently being investigated by the HSE who have requested that an immediate alert be sent out to all schools warning them of the dangers of enclosing any parts of the body in this material.

Answer 1

Sure Plaster gets Hot.
It's No Joke.
"Heat of Hydration" is a chemical reaction with water.
Lots of energy in Hydrogen and Oxygen.

Plaster is Peculiar,,in that the heat doesn't come "Out",,,
It goes IN.

Fill a shoe-box with plaster,,,and surface may feel slighty warm.
Stick a Thermometer in the center of it,,,it'll surprise you
how high the core temp gets,,,,near Boiling in some instances.
(**Do NOT use a Glass Tube Thermometer,,,they can break.
Use a metal probe "meat cooking" type of thermometer)

Plaster's Cheap,,,anybody who don't beleive how hot it gets oughta try it.

Concrete is same way,,,it's one of the factors in calculating Curing Time.

Plaster,Stucco,Concrete,etc,
it's not unusual to see it actually STEAM.

Just about any Plaster ya look at has the same warning.

http://www.empireblended.com/engineered/patchingrepairing-plasterofparis.html

" Caution:
.......May generate enough heat to cause burns if large mass is kept in contact with skin while hardening......."

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http://www.wel-cote.com/PSSHTM/Plaster%20of%20Paris.htm

"Caution: In case of contact with eyes, flush with water and seek medical attention if redness and swelling persists. Do not use as a body cast, as severe burns may result due to the heat generated the material sets."

...................................................................................
http://intranet.risd.edu/envirohealth_msds/Tillinghast/DapPlasterofParis.pdf

http://www.reddevil.com/pdfs/faq_0360.pdf

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http://www.plastermaster.com/plasterpower/plasterpower2.htm

"When you pour a plaster statue or mix a large batch of plaster a chemical reaction takes place during the setting process and the cast plaster heats up as it hardens. The larger the volume you cast, the more it will heat up. Temperatures may reach 150° deep within the mass of a large casting. .Do not encase any of your body parts or anyone else's in plaster! There is the definite danger of burns, not to mention the embarrassment of having to go to the emergency room to have a block of plaster chiseled off a part of your anatomy. Believe it or not people have written to me about this very experience."
.......................................................................................................
Here's a variety of compounded products from US Gypsum,,click on the Pic to see that product's MSDS(Material Safety Data Sheet)
http://www.plaster.com/Msds.html#self


Skin: When mixed with water, this material hardens and becomes very hot – sometimes quickly. DO NOT attempt to
make a cost enclosing any part of the body using this material. Failure to follow these instructions can cause severe
burns that may require surgical removal of affected tissue or amputation of limb.

..........................

Gotta 'bleive all the folks who make the stuff,,
they oughta know.


I almost dread seeing that info circulate.
Sounds like Good Ammo for next JackAss Stunt.
Hospital ER's will have a rash of Hand,Foot(and I shudder to think what Else) amputations from dumbo's not beleiving ,,or Knowing,,,that Curing Plaster generates enough heat for long enough to COOK body parts.

Good News is,,,,nobody will have to tell 'em twice.
Or,they won't likely fall for same practical joke next time their buddies try to pull it on them.

Answer 2

Plaster Of Paris Accident

Answer 3

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Answer 4

That is true, but it happened because they were using dental plaster, instead of regular plaster of paris. Dental plaster can rise 70 degrees Celsius (158 F), and gets 10 times harder that plaster of paris.

Answer 5

i am going to say this is a spoof.

i have never known plaster of paris to get hot.

Answer 6

Yeah, I was told dental plaster can get very hot, these kids should've been warned before using this stuff. If they were, shame on them, I hope they realise the damage they've done to the girl (assuming not a spoof!)

Answer 7

Medical publication confirms that plaster of paris can cause burns, however I suspect that the original story was about medical plaster.

Four female pupils at a technical school received hand burns while trying to make moulds of their hands using a dental plaster instead of ordinary plaster-of-Paris. In three cases the burns were so severe that several fingers had to be amputated due to irreversible tissue damage. The severity of the burns is explained on the basis of an experimental study where it was demonstrated that the temperature of hardening dental plaster rose to 70 degrees C and had a hardness that was 10-times greater than ordinary plaster-of-Paris. This should serve as a warning against the use of dental plaster in direct casting of living tissue. However, the technique used here is also considered dangerous, as ordinary plaster-of-Paris under certain circumstances could also cause severe burns.

Answer 8

ALthough Plaster of Paris does produce heat due to it's exothermic property while setting i don't believe it can get hot enough to cause damage. (since it's used to casts and splints) It could have been the particular formulation of the plaster in question. Maybe it wasn't your run of the mill plasted of paris. (or the damage wasn't caused by the heat but by damage caused trying to extricate the hand after it set)

Answer 9

Yes its possible!!!

.... Look at the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) under potential acute health effects..


I've pasted the relevant paragraph from the link here:

Skin: When mixed with water, this material hardens and becomes very hot – sometimes quickly. DO NOT attempt to
make a cast enclosing any part of the body using this material. Failure to follow these instructions can cause severe
burns that may require surgical removal of affected tissue or amputation of limb. Direct, prolonged or repeated contact
with the skin may cause irritation. Rinse with water until skin is free of material to avoid irritation, then wash skin
thoroughly with mild soap and water. Repeated exposure may dry skin

Answer 10

plaster paris is comes in the form of bandage how can you submerge your hand in a bandage?

Answer 11

why plaster of parris doesnt get hot