Girl’s death not due to foam

DHNS

Mangalore, 27 May 2010: The allegation from certain quarters that a 4-year-old victim of Saturday’s air crash died because of the fire fighting foam that had covered her, turns baseless.

According to Dr Kadam of A J Hospital, who had declared her dead, the cause of the girl’s death was head injury and nothing else.  “The girl was dead when she was brought to me and had a serious injury on her skull. She did not have any burns on her body. It is also possible that the smoke induced breathlessness contributed to her sudden death in the ambulance. However, she was not covered in foam when I saw her,” Dr Kadam told Deccan Herald.

The child was carried out of the site with foam covering her body.  She, however died on the way to hospital in the ambulance. Some of the rescue operators recently alleged that the foam had caused her death, on the assumption that the chemicals in the fire extinguishing foam was harmful to human body. They said the girl had blisters on her body wherever the foam had fallen.

Dr Kadam however emphasised that the foam can cause death only if it blocks the nose, cutting off oxygen supply.  Speaking to Deccan Herald, Professor of Chemistry at Mangalore University B Narayana also confirmed Dr Kadam’s opinion, stating that fire fighting foams are polymers, which are not at all harmful to human body.