What to do if you step on sea urchin needles – tips

In the tropical waters of the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, sea urchins are very common and widespread. In addition, their life cycle has distinct breeding and migration phases. During certain months of the year they group together and form whole colonies. Sea urchins’ defenses are a whole forest of needles. They can be very beautiful to look at, but it is a very effective weapon of self-defense and it is not even worth trying to get acquainted with it. By the way, sea urchin is not the only dangerous for tourists, an inhabitant of the coastal waters of Thailand. One of them we described in the article: “What to do if you are stung by a jellyfish? “, and in general, about the types of dangers in Thailand, read the article “Dangerous Thailand”.

Danger of sea urchin needles

Sea urchins are bottom dwellers of coastal waters. They have no desire to attack careless bathers, but they can get under their feet easily. stroke sea urchin is very unpleasant, and the first thing you feel overly admiring the sea beauty tourist – is a sharp pain and burning. After that, the injection site is red and swollen. This is because the sea urchin needle is a kind of disposable syringe containing a toxin.

After being pricked, sea urchin needles get stuck in tissues about the same way a wasp or bee sting does. But it is very difficult to get it out, and it is necessary to do it. This needle is “made” of a fragile organosilicon compound, it is hollow on the inside, and it is covered with fine serrations on the outside. It breaks and crumbles when you try to remove it. Again, it’s worth noting that the sea urchin isn’t out to get you in as much trouble as possible. It needs to prick the offender and lose only one needle out of a thousand, leaving itself intact.

The sea hedgehog aims to make you more trouble.

The dangers of the sea urchin are twofold. The poison, which is injected into the tissues, is not capable of killing a person, too little of it and it is designed for other organisms. But this substance is capable of causing anaphylactic shock (a severe allergic reaction) – a deadly situation. The needle itself “works” like an ordinary splinter, causing purulent inflammation. If there are no signs of choking and sharp deterioration of health, you can try to extract the remains of the needle yourself. But there is no guarantee that you will not get suppuration after this operation, and you will not need to see a doctor.

First-aid-in-contact with sea urchin

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So, what should you do if you step on a sea urchin? First of all make sure that it really is a sea urchin – an animal of a spherical shape (may be flattened), solidly covered with rather long spines. It is necessary to do this by all means, because there are many kinds of poisonous organisms in tropical waters, the poison of each acts in its own way, and first aid measures may be different.

In any case, if you feel the bite of a sea urchin, get out of the water quickly. For some people, the toxins of marine organisms are very strong, and loss of consciousness leads to drowning, even in shallow water. The sea urchin needle is visible. If it is embedded in the joint area or entered very deeply, do not do anything at all, urgently consult a surgeon.

method 1

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If you can see that the sea urchin needle is under the skin and has not penetrated the muscle, then right at the beach try the following steps:

1. Fill the bite site with any alcoholic disinfectant solution (even perfume will do).

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2. Remember that the organosilicon compounds that make up the sea urchin needle are dissolved by acid. Find a large lemon, table vinegar (5-7%) and pour a weak solution of acid over the injection site.
3. Crush the needle with the strokes of a small pebble (must be clean).
4. Treat the wound with antiseptic ointment.

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Method 2

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If the mood is completely ruined and you decide to return home, there you can take more drastic action:

1. Cauterize the wound with an alcohol solution.
2. Soak the injection site with mild acid (lemon, vinegar).
3. Warm the injection site in hot water. Do not overdo with the temperature, so as not to exacerbate the trauma of knowing the sea creature burns.

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4. Treat the affected area with antiseptic ointment.

If there is no place and no way to steep the injection site, you can use vegetable oil heated to 400 Celsius, which should be moistened with a rag and put on the affected area. Again, you have to be very careful with the temperature and not make the situation worse. The oil compress should be held for at least half an hour, better for an hour. After that, the sea urchin needles are squeezed out very carefully like splinters. You have to act in such a way that they do not crumble. After making sure that all foreign bodies are removed from under the skin, wash the treatment site with warm water and lubricate with antiseptic.

If you are a person with a sea urchin.

If someone of your family or friends stepped on a sea urchin, do not lose self-control and especially do not get involved in punishing the “harmful” animals. In this case, you risk getting your portion of needles under the skin.

If you feel you did everything right and the needles were removed, but the pain doesn’t go away, there was suppuration, or you had an allergic reaction, don’t waste time and see a doctor.

Video: How to properly remove sea urchin needles

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