Moisture can conduct electricity and increases risk of shock; HT lines close to buildings pose danger

When Meenakshi* heard about her husband’s accident, she fainted. Her husband, Mohan*, had suffered electrical burns and was admitted to the Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital (KMC).

“My husband has been working as a mason for over 30 years. He was working on the loft of a building when a rod he was using accidentally came into contact with an overhead wire. Other workers called an ambulance. When I saw him, his right arm was blackened. The very next day, doctors performed a surgery,” said Meenakshi.

With rains arriving this month, doctors say that the number of cases could rise. Wet objects are more likely to conduct electricity, said Syed Altaf Hussain, senior consultant plastic surgeon, Sri Ramachandra University.

At KMC, the State’s nodal centre for burns, every year over 100 cases of electrical burns are seen. “They form some 6% of our cases every year,” said Nirmala Ponnambalam, head of the department.

In general, doctors say, cases are usually of residents, including children, accidentally coming into contact with high tension wires while playing on terraces, attempting to hang out clothes to dry or retrieving something stuck on a wire, or of those working on a transformer. Many cases come in from Andhra Pradesh too, they say.

Harmful arcs

“The injuries can be devastating,” said G. Karthikeyan, associate professor of the department. Direct touching leads to contact burns, while in other cases, the electricity arcs and enters the body at a moist point even when there is no direct contact. Short circuits can lead to flash burns, he explained.

“Blood vessels are clotted, cutting off blood supply to limbs. This can cause gangrene, and in some cases, doctors have to amputate the limb to save the patient’s life. It leads to the death of muscles which can produce toxins affecting the kidney and can also affect the electrical activity of the heart, leading to rhythm changes,” said K. Sridhar, director, Institute of Plastic Surgery, SIMS Vadapalani.

Treatment can be very expensive as it involves a number of surgeries and requires an extended period of stay in the hospital, as doctors have to remove dead tissue and then use tissue and skin from other parts of the body to make up for muscle damage, said Dr. Hussain. Even after treatment, prolonged physiotherapy and rehabilitation is required in most cases, while some require prostheses.

Taking precautions

Electrical burns are among the most challenging of burns to treat and have a high rate of mortality and morbidity, said K. Mathangi Ramakrishnan, chief of plastic surgery and burns at Kanchi Kamakoti Childs Trust Hospital.

She pointed out that as per the law, a certain distance had to be maintained from a building both vertically and horizontally if a high tension wire was passing above or adjacent to it.

“The problem is this space is often not maintained, and the wires are very close to residential buildings,” she said, adding that the government should ensure high tension wires are earthed, and inspections should be carried out for new buildings prior to giving permission for electricity supply.

For Mohan, who is undergoing treatment, doctors are hopeful he will be able to get his hand working in a couple of years.

“All of our relatives live in Cuddalore. It’s just our family here. He is our only source of support,” Mohan’s daughter said.

*Names changed