I just want an outlet to express my feelings. I can't help but feel maybe I'm suppressing some sort of stress that I couldn't release because I seem to be really fixated on the Taiwan explosion and the past few nights, I have been waking up way too early and my stomach was so gassy (not sure if it's something I ate or just stress in general).  

But one reason I wanted to write this was because of some stupid comments other people made about the Taiwanese Dust Explosion. Good thing those English comments won't be seen by the Taiwanese victims and their heartbroken family. So the background story is that last week in Taiwan, at a "Colour Party" event in a water park, there was a dust explosion at night which resulted in serious 2nd and 3rd degree burns to more than 500 young adults. The really serious cases had burns over 50 to 90% of the body.

I've been trying to following up on the news but it appears 3 people have died to date and many are still in serious condition. The really sad thing is all of these victims are young people aged 13 to early 30s. Some ignorant people thought the colour party represented some sort of celebration of gay rights (because of the legalization of gay marriage in the States) and these anti-homoual said terrible things like "now you've learned a lesson" or " you deserve it" etc.  Firstly, they were wrong, it wasn't that kind of party and secondly, nobody deserves that because burning to death is probably one of the worst ways to die. And for the people that do survive, recovery is so painful that it will test their mental will.  Those comments repulse me so much I wanted to ask them, what's wrong with you? Did your religion teach you to pass judgment on others? But I didn't want to stoop their level so I just held back on the swearing I wanted to do.

The other comments that made me upset were "why would you go there to do something so utterly useless, at least if you're at home watching TV, that's better than wasting time at such event" or "they deserve it wasting money on something when that cash could be used elsewhere". And I have to say to those people, you're probably old and your heart is even older. What kids don't want to have fun? And why at a time when everyone is starting to lose real social connection, that you want them to become more isolated? These kind of "outings" allow for social interaction and growth. A LOT of young people were commended that day for their bravery. Sitting at home (though that's me) would never bring that out of people. And it's not just "partiers" that go to those events, there were some who have very promising futures. One of the decased actually won an international wedding design competition in Korea, and had a desinging future ahead of him. I don't think young people should be solely blamed for this tragedy. Though everyone should be aware of the dangers of any event they particpate in. Even if it wasn't a dust explosion, there's danger of stampede when there is such a large crowd. Going hiking, there's danger of getting lost and then dying from the elements if you're not prepared. 

I'm also gonna present some facts about the dust explosion:

• The cause of the explosion is because of coloured-corn starch being ignited by a fire/heat source while it was suspensed densely in the air like a cloud. Fire burns because there's oxygen, there's ignition and there's flammable material. I'm not a chemist but based on the explanations, when the corn starch is thrown into the air, and there's lot of it and all of it is very fine, there's a lot of surface area for that to catch fire. And corn starch is a flammable material (and so are flour and finely granulated sugar!) And because it's so fine, it doesn't take much heat to ignite, if there's sufficient energy to push the flame, it can spread quickly at light speed. I don't know if anyone saw the clip but it was pretty graphic. It looked to me like, the spark occurred at 3 separate locations and then a flash fire occurred. And then all you see are dark human shapes running and even falling.
  • The potential source of ignition includes...sparks from the stage eletronic equipment, heat from the lamps overhead (like the concert kinds), or people smoking, and some suggested that even the action of clapping hands creating static electricity could trigger it
  • The density of the corn starch dust in the air was due to the organization putting a layer of corn starch to mimic sand, and then continuously throughout the event, there were sprays of dust from the sides. Because the event was nearing its end and it was the last of the series of event, the organization decided to just dump it all, even people on stage were spraying it like a fire extinguisher
  • The event location was a semi-enclosed space. It was held at a swimming pool that had its water drained, so although it was not enclosed, it was able to create this kind of "explosion" effect
• The fire was gone as fast as it came. I think it might have lasted less than a minute. Nobody died at the scene but the burns were serious because most people were covered in corn starch at that time. Usually in the west, we do "stop, drop and roll" but I think doing that there would've made it worse. Therefore, many suffered second and third degree burns and their skin peeled off. There was not mention of fourth degree burn but I suspect that must have happened because the coroner said she was really sad that the deceased was burnt so badly she could see bones...that's 4th degree.
• The other issue here is logistics. There was no emergency team/first aid or safety equipment whatsoever at the scene. And the ambulances that did come couldn't figure out how to get to the scene of the accident due to the park having winding roads with lots of obstructions. The stage was located at the back end of the park.  So if you saw scenes of rescues with floats...that's why because they had to carry them to the park's front entrance where all the rescuers were. 
  • Here's the other really sad part, some people critiqued the government because they were unable to coordinate the rescue. They said a few days prior they did a drill at the water park with the fire department so how come emergency services are running into bottlenecks now where time is of the essence? Apparently, the lightly injured ones who are able to walk end up getting to the hospital faster than seriously injured ones who cannot move and are stuck back at the park. It took 4 hours to move all of the injured. Also, the serious cases couldn't get to the "right" hopsitals that have the the burn ICU. And there were 500 injured and about 200 were seriously injured. That's a lot of demand for immediate medical service in a very short amount of time. And burn injuries can get complicated as organs can fail with a loss of immune system and possible infection. The first 3 or 4 days are crucial. 
• Then it comes down to who takes the blame?
  • Is it the water park, that rented out the park to the organizer? That provided a space for an "unintended" use knowingly without having the proper safety plans in place? It is noted that this was a swimming pool so there was nowhere to run except backwards or to the ladder. I was surprised and it's a fortune that a stampede didn't also occur at the same time. Although it is a water park park, should there be some fire safety equipment nearby in case of fire. I think a fire extinguisher will probably be a bad choice as it appears if the dust flies, it feeds the fire. Water is probably a better choice...preferably a sprinkler. But that's not possible at an "outdoor" pool.
  • Is it the organizer? The one who did not carefully think through using corn-starch in such a way despite knowing about its dangerous effects? For not having the proper safety plans drawn out? 
  • Or the government? Who even passed the water park for its fire drill? Who did not require the organization to submit the event propsoal for review for operating permit? Who did not manage the rescue well and was the caused of the delay?
  • They established it's not the corn starch manufacturer's fault as there was a warning on the use of this corn starch, that it is highly flammable and can lead to dust explosion. 

The positive things I've seen coming out of this event is how dedicated the medics are. Everyone who was on break returned to work to help as there was a severe shortage of staff and supplies. The blood donation is maximized within days. At the scene of the accident, strangers comforted and helped each other.The lightly injured ones helped put more seriously burned victims in a nearby pool to help them cool down as there wasn't water easily available. Of course, it's advised to use clean water but at such a time, even pool water will do in order to stop the burning. A stranger treated a victim for shock to keep him conscious and to fight to survive. I'm not aware if she knows of shock but she might as she seems to realize he was starting to fall asleep.

I think it's hard to blame one side. Often times, we always learn in hindsight. But I have been thinking about the colour run. I actully never heard of it until a few days before this incident. So I looked it up and the event page NEVER mentioned what kind of paint they are putting on you. My friend who has participated in it told me it was corn starch. And I thought back to the dust explosion. Is this really safe? Usually colour runs take place outdoor so for the dust to build to that density is harder. BUT, there are other flammables thing like grass/trees other than corn starch, there can be wind, and all it take is one cigarette and something deadly can occur.

I also don't really buy into this colour event, as it seems to be a waste for unnecessary purposes.  If we go a step further, are those dye natural? Is it going to impact wildlife? What if that corn starch goes into lakes? Sometimes I feel like we humans will do stupid things for "entertainment". Because what is so fun about having coloured corn starch thrown on you? Can't we just simply do the event without the extra blitz? I guess that blitz is what keeps people interested. To start with, the colour party is actually an electronic dance music focused party ft. DJ Alyshia. And the colour run is really just a 5k marathon. 

I wish that all victims will get better with time and stay encouraged to live on. I have seen Selina's clips and I guess unless you have been through it, it's hard to understand the emotional roller coaster you have to deal with recovering from a burn. If you have a chance to survive, please keep strong and continue with the recovery no matter how painful it is.  I don't know about the pain of a burn as I have never had a serious one, but i know how it hurts to lose skin. I once ran down a hill to fly a kite, tripped and then scraped the skin off my palm, about the size of a dime. I did rinse it under cool water and it really stung. So i cannot imagine the pain of that but all over both legs. To treat it, I wrapped the wound with gauze to protect it. The only thing I put on the wound was an anti-bacterial ointment. Because I was afraid of the pain as I need to change the gauze at least twice a day, I read up on how to best treat it without pain. I bought a plastic pad so the wound wouldn't stick to the vinvyl? coating compared to if I used cotton or just plain gauze. Otherwise, it would hurt so much every time that gauze is removed. That's what burn victims go through and more, because they have to have skin graft and combat the scarring, they need to do physiotherapy to loosen the scar.