White Phosphorus Dermal Burns

Abstract

A 19-year-old man presented with painful burns on his posterior scalp after exposure to an incendiary agent. Smoke emanated from the wounds on removal of the dressing that had been applied during prehospital treatment. The wounds appeared waxy and yellow under natural light (Panel A) and fluorescent under ultraviolet light (i.e., Wood's lamp) (Panel B), consistent with a white phosphorus burn. Remaining particles were brushed off the wound, and the burns were irrigated with copious saline. His pain diminished, but the persistent presence of white phosphorus on examination under ultraviolet light required surgical debridement. White phosphorus is an incendiary agent . . .