By Michael Shemtoub, trial attorney, Beverly Law. Updated November 2026.
Burned because of someone else?
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Beverly Law handles chemical burn cases in California, Texas and Washington. Heat, fire and other burns are covered on our main burn injury lawyer page.
How a chemical burn differs from a heat burn
A chemical burn is damage from a caustic substance that touches the skin or eyes or is swallowed (Merck Manual). Because a chemical can keep destroying tissue long after first contact, the Merck Manual says rinsing should continue for at least 30 minutes. Most chemical burns are superficial, but a strong acid or alkali can cause a full-thickness, third-degree burn.
The American Burn Association’s referral guidelines list “all chemical injuries” among the cases that call for immediate burn center consultation with consideration of transfer, whatever their size (ABA referral guidelines).
Where chemical burns come from
| Product | Chemical named by the Merck Manual |
|---|---|
| Drain cleaners and paint removers | Lye, a caustic alkali (some products) |
| Toilet bowl cleaners and battery acid | Sulfuric acid |
| Pool chemicals and masonry cleaners | Hydrochloric acid |
| Wet cement left on the skin | Can cause severe burns |
Source: Merck Manual.
Pool chemicals. The CDC estimated a median of 4,535 emergency department visits a year for pool chemical injuries from 2008 to 2017 (CDC MMWR). In 2015 to 2017, at least 56.3% of these injuries happened at a residence, and 36.4% of patients were under 18 (CDC). The CDC warns never to mix chlorine products with acid, because the mix can create toxic gas.
Hair relaxers. The FDA warns that relaxer applied to the scalp or skin “can irritate or burn your skin” (FDA). When a salon applied it, the claim may run against the salon as well as the maker. Cosmetic and laser burns are on our med spa and laser burns page.
Workplaces. Industrial acids and alkalis are used on job sites and in plants, and wet cement is a construction hazard. See workplace and refinery burns.
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First aid from official sources
MedlinePlus says to flush the chemical off the skin with cool running water for 15 minutes or more, and to flush the eyes for at least 15 minutes (MedlinePlus). Dry lime (quicklime) and certain metals, such as sodium, potassium and lithium, should not be flushed with water first. For your claim, keep the container: the label and lot number show what the chemical was and what warnings came with it.
Rules at work: labels, data sheets and eyewash stations
Under OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard, shipped containers of hazardous chemicals must carry a label with a product identifier, signal word, hazard statements, pictograms and precautionary statements; makers must provide a safety data sheet, employers must keep those sheets accessible on every shift, and workers must be trained on the chemicals in their area (29 CFR 1910.1200). California and Washington run their own OSHA-approved state plans, and Texas falls under federal OSHA (OSHA).
| Jurisdiction | Eyewash and shower rule |
|---|---|
| Federal OSHA (Texas) | Quick drenching or flushing facilities in the work area wherever workers may be exposed to corrosives (29 CFR 1910.151(c)) |
| California | ANSI-compliant eyewash where eyes may contact a corrosive; hoses, sink faucets and showers do not count; reachable within 10 seconds; plumbed units activated at least monthly (8 CCR § 5162) |
| Washington | Showers and eyewashes no more than 10 seconds away, able to flush for 15 minutes or more (WAC 296-800-15030) |
Washington L&I says the first 10 to 15 seconds after a chemical contacts the skin or eyes are critical, and that even household bleach can cause serious or permanent damage (Washington L&I). In a workplace case, a missing or blocked eyewash station can be measured against these rules.
Workers’ compensation and third parties. Comp usually covers the employer, but the chemical maker, a contractor or the site owner can be sued separately in California (Labor Code § 3852) and Washington (RCW 51.24.030), and Washington allows a suit against an employer that deliberately intended the injury (RCW 51.24.020). In Texas, comp is the exclusive remedy against a covered employer, except that a surviving spouse or children may seek exemplary damages for a death caused by the employer’s intentional act or gross negligence (Labor Code § 408.001). Texas employers without coverage can be sued for negligence and cannot argue the worker was partly at fault or assumed the risk (§ 406.033), and negligent third parties can be sued (§ 417.001).
Warning labels and product claims
Federal law defines a corrosive as a substance that destroys living tissue by chemical action. Household corrosives must carry the signal word DANGER, first-aid instructions and a keep-out-of-reach-of-children warning (15 U.S.C. § 1261), and household products with lye above set concentrations, along with products with 10% or more sulfuric acid (other than wet-cell batteries), need child-resistant packaging (16 CFR § 1700.14).
| State | Rule for missing or weak warnings |
|---|---|
| California | Strict liability for failing to warn of known or knowable risks that ordinary consumers would not recognize (CACI No. 1205) |
| Texas | Any suit over a defective product is a products liability action; design claims need proof of a safer alternative design (CPRC §§ 82.001, 82.005) |
| Washington | A product is not reasonably safe without adequate warnings or instructions (RCW 7.72.030(1)(b)) |
Texas bars most product claims 15 years after the sale (CPRC § 16.012), and Washington presumes harm after 12 years falls outside a product’s useful safe life (RCW 7.72.060). Our defective products page covers design and manufacturing claims.
Fault and deadlines
If a jury decides you share the blame, say for skipping gloves the label called for, a California or Washington award shrinks by your percentage but is not wiped out (Li v. Yellow Cab; RCW 4.22.005). Texas allows nothing once your share passes 50% (CPRC § 33.001). A chemical burn suit generally has to be filed within 2 years of the injury in California (CCP § 335.1) or Texas (CPRC § 16.003), and within 3 years in Washington (RCW 4.16.080).
Hot liquid burns are on our scald burns page and shock injuries on our electrical burns page. To find a verified burn center, see our burn center directory.
Chemical burn FAQ
Can I sue the maker of a drain cleaner or pool chemical that burned me?
Possibly. Federal law requires household corrosives to carry specific warnings and first-aid instructions, and state product liability law allows claims when warnings or packaging were inadequate. Keep the container.
My employer had no eyewash station. Can I sue?
Usually comp is the remedy against the employer, but you may have a separate claim against the chemical maker, a contractor or the site owner. A Texas employer that skipped comp coverage can be sued directly for the burn.
How long should a chemical burn be rinsed?
MedlinePlus says 15 minutes or more; the Merck Manual says at least 30. Dry lime and some metals should not be flushed with water first.
Can a salon be responsible for a hair relaxer burn?
It can be, if the stylist applied it, left it on or rinsed it out improperly. The FDA warns that relaxer on the scalp or skin can burn it.
Talk to a chemical burn lawyer
If a chemical burned you at home, at work or at a salon, call Beverly Law at (310) 552-6959 for a free consultation in English or Spanish. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. You owe no fees or costs unless we win.
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Burn injury lawyer — Beverly Law
If you or your child was burned because of someone else in California, Texas and Washington, talk to a burn injury attorney. Free, confidential, English or Spanish. You owe no fees or costs unless we win.
Related pages
Sources
- Merck Manual (Consumer Version), Chemical Burns (merckmanuals.com)
- MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine), Chemical burn or reaction (medlineplus.gov)
- American Burn Association, burn center referral guidelines (ameriburn.org)
- CDC, MMWR 2019;68(19):433-438, Pool Chemical-Associated Health Events (cdc.gov)
- CDC Stacks, same report (2015-2017 figures) (stacks.cdc.gov)
- U.S. FDA, Hair Dye and Hair Relaxers (fda.gov)
- OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200 (osha.gov)
- OSHA medical services and first aid, 29 CFR 1910.151(c) (ecfr.gov)
- OSHA State Plans (osha.gov)
- Cal/OSHA, 8 CCR § 5162 (emergency eyewash and shower equipment) (dir.ca.gov)
- app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx
- lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/law/WAC/WAC%20296%20%20TITLE/WAC%20296%20-800%20%20CHAPTER/
- Washington L&I, Emergency eyewash and showers (lni.wa.gov)
- Federal Hazardous Substances Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1261 (govinfo.gov)
- 16 CFR § 1700.14 (child-resistant packaging) (ecfr.gov)
- CACI No. 1205 (strict liability, failure to warn) (justia.com)
- statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CP/htm/CP.82.htm
- tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/CP/htm/CP.82.htm
- RCW 7.72.030 (app.leg.wa.gov)
- RCW 7.72.060 (app.leg.wa.gov)
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.012 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- Cal. Labor Code § 3852 (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)
- Tex. Labor Code § 408.001 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- Tex. Labor Code § 406.033 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- Tex. Labor Code § 417.001 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx
- app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx
- Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (Cal. 1975) (scocal.stanford.edu)
- RCW 4.22.005 (app.leg.wa.gov)
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.001 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1 (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov)
- Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003 (statutes.capitol.texas.gov)
- RCW 4.16.080 (app.leg.wa.gov)
Important: This page is general information, not legal or medical advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different; talk to a lawyer about yours. Texas cases are handled by the firm’s Texas-licensed attorneys, Joyce Ondich and John Efstathiou. Last reviewed: November 6, 2026.