Carburetor priming: a cause of gasoline burn.

Burns as a result of priming carburetors with gasoline resulted in 4% of all burn admissions to the Oregon Burn Center from 1980-1982. The burns most frequently involved the head and neck and upper extremities. Although most of them involved less than 10% of the total body surface area, half of all the injuries included areas of full-thickness tissue loss. This type of preventable accident inflicts substantial morbidity and may be a major financial burden. Professional and public awareness of the risk of serious gasoline burns incurred during carburetor priming should decrease its incidence.