hydrofluoric acid burn , anyone ?

by troubled mind 21 Replies latest jw friends

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  troubled mind

  Had a scare this week ....

  Tues. I got a call at work that my son was in the emergency room . He works at a car dealership as a detailer . He was using a wheel cleaner solution when the bottle exploded in his hands splashing up into his left eye and over his stomach area and arms . When I got there they were flushing his eye with an eye cup and IV solution , his stomach was red and blistered he had red splotches on his arms and neck too. His boss had brought the small drum containing the cleaner with so the doctor would know what they were dealing with . It was mainly hydrofluoric acid , phosphoric acid and butoxyethanol. The warnings on the bottle were scary enough, but the doctor explained this chemical can absorb very quickly into the tissue and at full strength destroy bone and even kill . I do not know what the precentage was in the cleaner he was using , but to bubble your skin with in minutes can't be good .

  He had flushed his eye in a sink before getting to the hospital and they did it twice there . We went to a specialist wed. and he said he doesn't see any permanent damage, thank goodness , the eye is healing the burn itself . He went back to work yesterday .

  His stomach has small scabs now and what looks like a faint sunburn ,But he says the muscles in that area are really , really sore . I don't know if that means there may be damage under the skin we can't see or if it is just regular muscle soreness from being so tensed up ?

  I would have never imagined his job was at all dangerous ! It makes me mad that because it is a small business they seem to get away with not meeting OSHA requirements. There are no eye wash stations just a regular sink . They are not trained about the dangers of the chemicals they are using and are not required to wear safety glasses , gloves or masks when using these chemicals . In the car dealers around here the detail positions are usually entry level right out of High School age kids , in other words inexperienced .

  I spoke with my son that no matter if the business doesn't take precautions YOU need to for your own safety . So he is getting safety wear to use from now on.
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  brinjen

  It's really unbelievable what some employers can get away with. I hope your son is OK, my advice would be to look for another job. Doesn't sound to me like that company deserves him.
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  Fe2O3Girl

  This sort of thing makes me so mad. No-one should risk their health or life to earn a living. Has his employer been reported?

  Anyway, yes, HF burns are serious. If he is still in pain, I think you should get him back to the emergency room. It may well just be muscle stiffness (I bet he jumped when the bottle exploded) - but better safe that sorry!

  Rach
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  WTWizard

  I am familiar with those chemicals. Hydrofluoric acid is a cousin of hydrochloric acid. As an acid, HF is not particularly strong. However, it is highly corrosive and will even etch glass. This is not something to play with, since the chemical is a powerful oxidant. It is quite reactive, and fluoride can be itself toxic.

  Phosphoric acid is found in colas. It is not particularly dangerous in regular concentrations, but it is quite strong as an acid. This will eat through bone and skin (the hydrofluoric acid, as corrosive as it is, can also eat through bone). Phosphoric acid alone could be treated with baking soda, but hydrofluoric acid cannot. Lots of water is the only answer, and quick.

  2-Butoxyethanol is a powerful degreaser. It is quite alkaline (pH of 12.5). It is relatively safe on the skin, but can be absorbed and should be washed off in short order. This chemical can ruin the liver if this happens regularly, and a high dose like this is not a good sign. Especially with the acids, this is not something you want to play with. I used to use a chemical called State 999 that had 2-butoxyethanol, and there were warnings that prolonged skin contact could be harmful to your liver. This stuff had a pH of 12.5, and was reasonably safe on the skin in the short run (it is not corrosive). However, when working with chemicals, it is a good idea to use common sense.

  Maybe it's time the Witlesses start going to college. Cleaning seems simple, but there are chemicals that can harm the liver or burn through the skin if spilled. And the nature of the chemical dictates what the best way to neutralize them is: strong acids like hydrochloric, sulfuric, and phosphoric neutralize with baking soda and are relatively non-toxic aside the acidity. A base like lye neutralizes with vinegar; likewise, its toxicity is low aside the corrosiveness. But, many bleaching and detergent/degreasing chemicals are highly toxic and will ruin the liver. I'm afraid, without basic knowledge in chemistry, it's impossible to take care of these emergencies effectively.

  A word of caution. No matter how effective you are at neutralizing a chemical and no matter how otherwise non-toxic it is, you should still get it checked. The burn itself may well be enough, and it can become infected if not treated. Here is one case where allopathic medicine is excellent, since it treats damage caused by a one-time exposure to a caustic or toxic chemical. If you have a spill with a strong acid or base, or something that is corrosive or highly toxic, a trip to the emergency room is in order as natural remedies will not be enough to handle this emergency. Still, a water rinse will reduce the damage of the burn or poisoning.
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  Scully

  Make sure the incident gets written up with whatever workplace safety organization has jurisdiction in your area.

  They can compel the employer to provide safety equipment for ALL employees to wear when using dangerous chemicals like the ones that injured your son. Your son is not the only employee who needs to have protective gear. Also, since it was an on-the-job accident, I would insist that the employer be responsible for the medical bills.
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  troubled mind

  He was taken immediately to an emergency room at the local hospital ,and all the medical bills are being paid by the employer .
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  Sad emo

  He was allowed to use that stuff without full protective gear? WTH????

  Certainly wouldn't be allowed in the UK - HF is one of the most (if not THE most) corrosive chemicals around.

  I'm with Fe2O3 - if he still has pain, get him checked out. I got sulphuric acid burns once - washed it off but it carried on *just* itching - I paid no attention to it but by the end of the week it had gone through my skin practically to the bone - not nice.
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  stillajwexelder

  As an acid, HF is not particularly strong.

  Strictly from a chemical definition this is true -It is not highly dissociated. However from a lay point of view (where an acid is corrsoive or etches) it is extremely so
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  stillajwexelder

  phosphoric acid is a strong acid but not that toxic - it is used in production of chemical fertilzer used to grow crops. It is corrosive and a storng skin irritant

  butoxyethanol can metabolize into oxalic acid and hence kidney stones, Its dermal toxicity LD-50 on rabbits is 435 mg/Kg.

  Its inhalation 50% lethal kill rate (LC-50) on mice is 700 ppm 7 hours
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  WTWizard

  HF might not be that strong as an acid, but it is a powerful redox chemical. And strong oxidizers can be as dangerous, if not more so, than strong acids. Worse, while baking soda might neutralize a strong acid, it will not neutralize HF.