PERSONAL SAFETYHealth Alert Issued Over
Hurricane Zone Vehicles MISSOURI CITY, TX (Feb. 23, 2006) - Heavy metal can kill you - especially if it's attached to a contaminated car. Technicians should take heed of a nationwide alert issued to emergency personnel emphasizing the risk of fatally infected cuts inflicted by "flood cars" from the Hurricane Zone. A Mississippi firefighter recently died from septic shock contracted through a slightly scratched finger suffered while extricating a victim from a crashed car. "The warning needs to go out to the automotive industry because of all of the vehicles that were contaminated in the New Orleans area that are now spread across the country," says Todd Hoffman, executive director of Scene of the Accident Inc., based in Missouri City, TX. The floodwaters that inundated The Big Easy tested at 50 times above the danger level for this type of toxin, which enters the bloodstream. Called sepsis, it spreads rapidly from just the tiniest break in the skin. It is indeed deadly and can be carried by a car in your bays.The illness [sepsis]
is frequently under-diagnosed because it has symptoms similar to a multitude of other ailments."The government is crushing all of the vehicles, so-they-say, but any vehicle looked at prior to Dec. 6 [2005] was sent to auction," says Hoffman. "The vehicles that the owners were allowed to retain are all over the country, and all of the uninsured vehicles are for sale everywhere." Technicians need to wear gloves and otherwise protect themselves at all times, he urges, calling for "long sleeve shirts, long pants, gloves and safety shoes - not shorts, tank tops and tennis shoes." If an employee gets a cut or even the smallest scratch, the wound needs to be immediately disinfected and a bandage applied, Hoffman advises. "Soap and water will not kill the bacteria," he points out. "It will take a strong antiseptic cleaner. [Shops] need to consider adding a disinfectant to their wash water when a contaminated car is suspected." If there is redness or swelling, or a rash or back pain, you should "get to the doctor and demand a blood test." The illness is frequently under-diagnosed because it has symptoms similar to a multitude of other ailments. Sepsis can develop quickly. The sooner it is diagnosed and treated, the better. The Mississippi firefighter died six days after receiving a "tiny cut" from the wrecked car. "The doctor did not do a blood test because it is something that is not commonly done in these cases," Hoffman explains. Every minute, more than two people die from severe sepsis in the United States, according to Dr. Jean-Louis Vincent of the Society of Critical Care Medicine. It is the leading cause of death in hospital intensive care units and claims "more lives than breast, colon/rectal, pancreatic and prostate cancer combined. And, the numbers are getting worse," says Vincent. "When someone dies of 'complications' from cancer or pneumonia, it is more than likely caused by severe sepsis." Once inflicted, the death rate from sepsis is 40 percent in healthy adults. In younger children and older adults, the probability of dying rises to 80 percent. Although ranked as the 13th most-common cause of death in the United States, the exact number of fatalities attributable to sepsis is not known. It is estimated that each year there are 400,000 bouts of sepsis, 200,000 cases of septic shock and 100,000 deaths from the illness. "Sepsis is the body's response to an infection. Patients developing sepsis progress from ill to seriously ill, onto organ dysfunction and failure - called severe sepsis - and then to septic shock," Vincent explains. "Because early treatment is crucial, the faster you are diagnosed, the better your chances of making a full recovery are." The symptoms of sepsis can include: * Fever and shaking chills. * Reduced mental alertness, sometimes with confusion. * Nausea and vomiting. * Diarrhea in the presence of infection. * Sometimes hypotension. * Altered kidney or liver function in some cases. "If the waters from New Orleans were poured into a bucket and shipped elsewhere, it would have been labeled as a biologically hazardous material." - CCAR's Bob Stewart The normal symptoms of an infection should not last longer than five days, and a fever should be no higher than 103
Hurricane Zone Vehicles MISSOURI CITY, TX (Feb. 23, 2006) - Heavy metal can kill you - especially if it's attached to a contaminated car. Technicians should take heed of a nationwide alert issued to emergency personnel emphasizing the risk of fatally infected cuts inflicted by "flood cars" from the Hurricane Zone. A Mississippi firefighter recently died from septic shock contracted through a slightly scratched finger suffered while extricating a victim from a crashed car. "The warning needs to go out to the automotive industry because of all of the vehicles that were contaminated in the New Orleans area that are now spread across the country," says Todd Hoffman, executive director of Scene of the Accident Inc., based in Missouri City, TX. The floodwaters that inundated The Big Easy tested at 50 times above the danger level for this type of toxin, which enters the bloodstream. Called sepsis, it spreads rapidly from just the tiniest break in the skin. It is indeed deadly and can be carried by a car in your bays.The illness [sepsis]
is frequently under-diagnosed because it has symptoms similar to a multitude of other ailments."The government is crushing all of the vehicles, so-they-say, but any vehicle looked at prior to Dec. 6 [2005] was sent to auction," says Hoffman. "The vehicles that the owners were allowed to retain are all over the country, and all of the uninsured vehicles are for sale everywhere." Technicians need to wear gloves and otherwise protect themselves at all times, he urges, calling for "long sleeve shirts, long pants, gloves and safety shoes - not shorts, tank tops and tennis shoes." If an employee gets a cut or even the smallest scratch, the wound needs to be immediately disinfected and a bandage applied, Hoffman advises. "Soap and water will not kill the bacteria," he points out. "It will take a strong antiseptic cleaner. [Shops] need to consider adding a disinfectant to their wash water when a contaminated car is suspected." If there is redness or swelling, or a rash or back pain, you should "get to the doctor and demand a blood test." The illness is frequently under-diagnosed because it has symptoms similar to a multitude of other ailments. Sepsis can develop quickly. The sooner it is diagnosed and treated, the better. The Mississippi firefighter died six days after receiving a "tiny cut" from the wrecked car. "The doctor did not do a blood test because it is something that is not commonly done in these cases," Hoffman explains. Every minute, more than two people die from severe sepsis in the United States, according to Dr. Jean-Louis Vincent of the Society of Critical Care Medicine. It is the leading cause of death in hospital intensive care units and claims "more lives than breast, colon/rectal, pancreatic and prostate cancer combined. And, the numbers are getting worse," says Vincent. "When someone dies of 'complications' from cancer or pneumonia, it is more than likely caused by severe sepsis." Once inflicted, the death rate from sepsis is 40 percent in healthy adults. In younger children and older adults, the probability of dying rises to 80 percent. Although ranked as the 13th most-common cause of death in the United States, the exact number of fatalities attributable to sepsis is not known. It is estimated that each year there are 400,000 bouts of sepsis, 200,000 cases of septic shock and 100,000 deaths from the illness. "Sepsis is the body's response to an infection. Patients developing sepsis progress from ill to seriously ill, onto organ dysfunction and failure - called severe sepsis - and then to septic shock," Vincent explains. "Because early treatment is crucial, the faster you are diagnosed, the better your chances of making a full recovery are." The symptoms of sepsis can include: * Fever and shaking chills. * Reduced mental alertness, sometimes with confusion. * Nausea and vomiting. * Diarrhea in the presence of infection. * Sometimes hypotension. * Altered kidney or liver function in some cases. "If the waters from New Orleans were poured into a bucket and shipped elsewhere, it would have been labeled as a biologically hazardous material." - CCAR's Bob Stewart The normal symptoms of an infection should not last longer than five days, and a fever should be no higher than 103
