WATER-JEL Frequently Asked Questions

   1. What is WATER-JEL ?

   2. Why choose WATER-JEL ?

   3. What are the active ingredients in WATER-JEL ?

   4. Why do people need WATER-JEL burn care products ?

   5. Which WATER-JEL product should I use or have on hand ?

   6. Can WATER-JEL be used on both thermal as well 

       as chemical burns ?

   7. Do WATER-JEL products have expiration dates

       and what if the product has expired ?

   8. Does WATER-JEL freeze and will it get ruined

       from low or high temperatures ?

   9. Why use WATER-JEL if water is available ?

 10. Where do burn injuries occur ?

 11. Will WATER-JEL cause HYPOTHERMIA ?

 12. Will WATER-JEL interfere with the take of AUTOGRAFT ?

 13. How can we inspect WATER-JEL Blankets for leakage ?

What is WATER-JEL ?                                                              (top) 

WATER-JEL is a water-based, water-soluble gel that draws the heat out of a burn while it relieves the pain, cools the skin, and protects against airborne contamination.  By applying WATER-JEL as soon as possible, the heat of the burn is dissipated and helps prevent the heat from progression deeper into the skin.  The gel consists of 96% water and has the same cooling effects as water, but because it is thick, it stays on the burn and doesn't evaporate.  Water-Jel also contains a small amount of the natural extract Melaleuca Alternifolia, better known as Tea Tree.  This has anti-bacterial activity to help prevent infection.  Water-Jel also contains thickening agents and preservatives to maintain the gels' viscosity, efficacy and give it a 5-year shelf life.    

Why choose WATER-JEL ?                                                     (top)

BECAUSE Water-Jel is ....

the #1 Brand of Emergency First Aid For Burns

Water-Jel Sterile Burn Dressings feature more gel in the dressings, which means it feels better, longer.  There's plenty of gel in the dressing to cover burns with a thick layer of gel to cool and soothe the burn. 

Water Jel dressings come in 6 sizes so a first responder has the right product for the injury.  The more gel, the better.  Water-Jel is the only brand that uses a medical grade pad that carries the gel and applies it liberally to the burn injury.  Other brands use a foam-like sponge that absorbs and retains the gel, but does not as effectively release it onto the burn.  Water-Jel's unique Face Mask facial dressing has pre-cut eye, nose and mouth holes for easy and immediate one-step care.  

Water-Jel Fire Blankets and Burn Wraps come in 3 sizes for large area burns. They are the only gel-soaked blankets available in either high visibility orange canisters (with an optional wall bracket) or in large foil pouches.  Water-Jel products have expiration dates so when people invest in Water-Jel products they know when they can best be used and when they should be replaced.  There's no guessing and no taking chances with an old product.

Water-Jel is the only brand that offers two topical cooling gels and a unique topical gel specifically for sunburns.

Burn Jel cools burns to soothe the pain and also contains pain relieving Lidocaine.  Lidocaine is a commonly used anesthetic found in many over-the-counter pain relieving products.  Cool Jel has a similar formula to Burn Jel, without Lidocaine.  UnBurn is for sunburns.  It contains additional Lidocaine and also moisturizing vitamin E and aloe.

What are the active ingredients in Water-Jel ?                     (top)

Water-Jel Burn Dressings and Fire Blankets do not contain any active ingredients; they are considered Class I Medical Devices.

Burn Jel and UnBurn contain lidocaine, which is found in many over-the-counter topical pain relievers.  Cool Jel uses a similar gel formula as Burn Jel and UnBurn, but does not contain any active ingredient.

Why do people need WATER-JEL burn care products ?     (top)

Water-Jel meets the following safety needs within most companies, organizations, and home:

• Risk Management - lower the risk of serious injury and liability.
• Employee Productivity - improve productivity, care and goodwill to keep employees on the job.
• Workers' Compensation - lower employees time off due to injury.
• Family Safety - guide in home first aid response to burn emergencies.

Which WATER-JEL product should I use or have on hand?(top)

WATER-JEL Sterile Burn Dressings and Fire Blankets are intended for any burns, minor burns, serious burns, and burns which cover a large area of the body. Burn Jel and Cool Jel are intended for minor burns. Unburn was created specifically for the relief of sunburn pain, and contains vitamin E to help moisturize the skin.

Yes, but they must be handled differently.  The first principal in treating a thermal burn is to put out the fire and cool the burn wound to stop the burning process; if the victim is unconscious the presence of a pulse and airway should be established early on.   A Water-Jel blanket puts out the fire and cools the burn without removing the clothing, while the victim can be transported in the blanket.  In contrast, the first principal in chemical burns is to remove the offending agent with copious and continued irrigation with water or saline.  Generally, no attempt should be made to neutralize the chemical agent since that will waste time.  The clothing must be removed completely and quickly in a chemical burn as clothing serves as a reservoir for the offending agent.  Also check the chemical's MSDS.  Once the chemical agent has been flushed throughly, WATER-JEL can be used to provide pain relief and protection.

Do WATER-JEL products have expiration dates
and what if the product has expired ?                                   (top)
Because we want to insure the high quality of our products at all times, they have undergone stability testing to insure the effectiveness for a given length of time. The expiration date indicates that the product -- if not opened -- will be stable and effective until that date. WATER-JEL topical gels now have a five-year shelf life. The expiration date will be noted on the packaging near the lot number.  WATER-JEL Sterile Burn Dressings and Fire Blankets have a five-year shelf life, and the expiration date can be found on the label near the lot number.  If your WATER-JEL product has expired, then it should be discarded or used for training and replaced. The blanket canisters can be placed in any local recycling program. The gel, since it is non-toxic, can be disposed of in the regular trash. No special handling is required.

Does Water-Jel freeze and will it get ruined from low or high
temperatures ?                                                                         (top)

WATER-JEL freezes at 5°F but can be used when thawed at ambient temperatures.  Similary, WATER-JEL shouldn't be used at temperatures in excess of 110°F, but it will not harm the gel, blanket or dressing.

Why use WATER-JEL if water is available ?                         (top) 

Water-Jel is Portable -- Water-Jel is portable so you can apply it to a burn, wrap it lightly and go back to work or home while Water-Jel continues cooling the burn and relieving the pain.  It's the only way to treat burns when on a job site where water is not readily available.

Water-Jel Provides Continuous Cooling – Water-Jel provides cool soothing relief that can be reapplied if necessary. 

Water-Jel Doesn't Evaporate – Water-Jel doesn't quickly evaporate like sterile water does so it minimizes the risk of overcooling the patient even when treating large burns.  Burn Sheets or dry dressings soaked with sterile water quickly evaporate causing the pain to come back and requiring the rewetting of the sheet or dressings which can cause excessive cooling and even hypothermia.

Water-Jel is Easy to Apply – For burns large and small.  Treating victims of large area and serious burns with sterile water is difficult to manage.  With Water-Jel, they are easy to manage.  Water-Jel Fire Blankets and Dressings help first responders quickly care for large area burn injuries in one easy step.

Water-Jel Helps Prevent infection – Studies have shown that because Water-Jel covers the burn and contains Melaleuca Alternafolia, better known as tea tree, it helps prevent infection.

Water-Jel Has a Long Shelf life – Water-Jel is naturally bacteriostatic with anti-bacterial activity to help prevent bacterial growth. 

Where do burn injuries occur ?                                              (top)

Manufacturing Areas

Burns occur in areas where there is high heat, hot liquids, electricity and chemicals.

Small area or minor burns are commonly caused by welding sparks, hot liquid splashes, hot tools, chemical splashes and small flames.  These burn injuries occur frequently and can be treated quickly and effectively with Water-Jel Burn Jel, Cool Jel and small Water-Jel Burn Dressings. 

Large area or serious burns occur in areas with risk of large spills, fire or explosion, high temperature environments, hot metal, hot liquid, hot equipment, flame, oil, gas, and / or chemicals.  These burns occur less frequently but there is a severe threat of long-term effects or disability.  Therefore it is important to have Water-Jel Blankets and Dressings on hand to effectively care for these severe and potentially life-threatening injuries.    

Construction Sites

Burns occur at construction sites in many of the same ways they occur at manufacturing facilities.  Often, water supplies are limited and transportation time to a medical facility may be longer so the availability of Water-Jel is even more important.

Kitchen areas

Burns occur among the kitchen staff in the lunchroom or cafeteria.

�         Small area or minor burns: ovens, grills, stoves, deep fryers, microwaves.

�         Large area or serious burns: deep fryers, hot soup/liquid, gas ovens, gas stoves, gas grills.

Lunchroom/Cafeteria - Burns occur in the lunchroom or cafeteria among employees and visitors from microwaves, hot coffee & tea, hot spills.

Warehouse Areas - Burns occur from use of warehouse equipment such as wrapping machines, heat-sealing machines, glue guns, packaging machines as well as in the lunch room.

Home - Burns that occur at home often need additional care at the workplace.  These burns occur from stoves, microwaves, hot water, irons, steam, hair curling irons and dryers, etc.

Will WATER-JEL cause HYPOTHERMIA ?                             (top)

It is well established that early care of the burn wound should be to – PUT OUT THE FIRE AND COOL THE BURN.  During transport, the wound should be kept moist, to avoid pain in the more superficial areas and desiccation in all burned areas.  Moist transport is even more important as the distance traveled becomes greater.  However, we must realize that evaporation causes surface cooling and can lead to core hypothermia particularly on larger burns if proper care is not provided.

There are concerns about using burn sheets soaked with saline or sterile water because the fast evaporation, repeated wetting and evaporation cause not only the skin to become cool, but also the patient.  This may contribute to HYPOTHERMIA via evaporative cooling in a poorly-managed transport, over a long distance.  The key lies in how the patient is handled. 

What needs to be done is:

�         Wrap the patient in dry or foil blankets over their wet dressings, so as to hold the evaporation to a minimum. 

�         Keep the patient area of the transport vehicle as warm as possible.  That's easy in a ground transport but more difficult in a helicopter.  Also, every effort should be made to reduce excessive airflow over the patient. 

In our opinion, the admonition to remove the WATER-JEL blanket or the wet sheets, and replace them with dry sheets is without merit.  In fact, without thought, since it causes delay, causes pain to the patient, and is non-rewarding for the wound.  All these opinions are relative to the transport from the site of the injury to the first level of definitive care.

Will WATER-JEL interfere with the take of AUTOGRAFT ? (top)

Water-Jel does not interfere with Autograft.  Water-Jel is totally water-soluble.  Any residual Water-Jel on a burn wound will be removed with the first bath.  Even when Water-Jel is used for the definitive treatment of a small burn, it is removed with each washing. Any wound that will benefit from Autograft will have a necrotic surface that must be removed for preparation of the bed.  If there were noxious residuals, which there are not, they would be removed along with the necrotic material in preparation of the bed. 

There are a myriad of reasons for graft loss - but WATER-JEL is not among them.

How can we inspect WATER-JEL Blankets for leakage ?   (top)

Thorough inspection and QA is done on our Blankets at time of manufacture, so it should not be necessary for the blanket to be inspected.  If, however, it is a strict policy of your company to conduct Quality Inspections, we recommend the following:

Please note when performing quality inspection or removing fire blanket for a non-emergency situation, the instructions are as follows:

To Remove Fire Blanket Bag from Canister

1. Make sure canister is upright.

2. Without Removing Bag from Cannister, lift and straighten the inner bag containing the fire blanket.

3. Hold canister by the handle ans lay the canister on the side.

4. Tap canister gently to break the vacuum holding the bag containing the fire blanket.

5. Slowly slide / shimmy the bag out of the canister.

1. Re-mold fire blanket bag by rounding it out with your hands to fit  the canister.

2. With the canister lying on its side, slowly and gently guide bag back into canister, working the bottom end of the fire blanket in first.

3. When the bag is half way in, turn canister upright and allow the bag to slowly slide down to bottom of canister.

4. Place cover back onto the opening and secure the seal.