First aid for skin/eye decontamination: Are the present practices effective?

The past and present standard first aid for skin and eye exposures is to flush the affected areas with copious amounts of water for 15 min and then seek medical attention. It should be noted that over the years very little research in first aid has been conducted, and one should therefore recognize that there may be limitations to the present practices. Aware of the lack of evidence, the National First Aid Science Advisory Board was established to review and evaluate current first aid interventions. This paper presents updated evidence-based procedures for skin/eye decontaminations.