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If your hands are currently receiving burns in an auto fire, can you unbuckle your seatbelt?
This question pertains to fire safety in auto racing.
Quick background:
Fire suits/gloves/etc. receive a standardized "SFI" rating. The lowest SFI rating (SFI-1) gives you three seconds protection from a 2nd-degree burn in a 1800 degree fire--a typical gasoline fire. SFI-5 gives you ten seconds, SFI-10 gives you nineteen seconds, etc.
I've heard that if your hands are receiving burns, your hand will curl up into a tight fist, which leaves you unable to unfasten your seat belts.
I am asking my racing series to change their rules by increasing the minimum fire suit and glove ratings from SFI-1 to SFI-5. We recently had a driver die when he was trapped in his burning racecar.
My question is... Is the hand curling true? If it is, what are the technical/medical terms for this situation? I want to present solid information to the sanctioning body when I request the increase to racing glove protection.
Jeff
Abilene, TX
I would say this could be due to the same reaction you get when you die. Rigor Mortis. Instead of coming on slowly, the fire speeds up the reaction. It would be more due to the fire damaging the muscles that control the hand which are located in the forearm. As the fire kills the muscle the bio-chemical reaction in the muscles would cause them to contract - thus freezing the fingers. Instead of a fist, I would think the fingers would remain outstretched and stiff, unable to move from the flexor and extensor muscles acting against each other.
The biochemical cause of rigor mortis is hydrolysis of ATP, the chemical energy source required for movement, in the muscle tissue. Myosin molecules devoid of ATP become permanently adherent to actin filaments to form actomyosin complex, causing muscles to become rigid. After the pH of the muscle has become 5.5, release of autolytic enzymes stored in lysosomes will take place. The major proteolytic enzymes are Cathepsins and Calpains. These enzymes act at the myofibrillar proteins and hydrolyse them. As a result, the actomyosin complex is broken down and muscles become "soft" again. This is known as resolution of rigor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigor_mortis
Your local medical examiner would be a better source of information and I am sure they would be glad to assist.
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