HYDROFLUORIC ACID: VULNERABLE GROUPS
Children are especially vulnerable to hydrofluoric acid, since they tend to have a bigger surface area to bodyweight ratio and smaller airway diameter. Moreover, individuals with asthma or other respiratory related issues may be more sensitive to hydrofluoric acid, since it has been shown to irritate the airways.
Those working in certain industries, namely the automobile industry, where car washes are frequent, could have a higher risk of being exposed.
People who smoke or drink alcohol are also more vulnerable, since cigarettes lead to worsening respiratory conditions which can be amplified by exposure to hydrofluoric acid, while individuals who consume alcohol increase their chances of having liver damage caused by this particular acid.
HYDROFLUORIC ACID: ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS
When hydrofluoric acid is ejected into the environment, it can have major negative ecological impacts, by causing damage to plants through leaf necrosis and chlorosis, impacting aquatic organisms with its toxicity, and potentially contaminating soil or groundwater after a spill. Even the smallest amounts of this particular acid can be harmful to sensitive ecosystems, resulting from its highly corrosive nature and capacity to interrupt biological processes by interfering with the magnesium levels in organisms.
HYDROFLUORIC ACID: HEALTH EFFECTS
There are a number of health effects that can result from exposure to hydrofluoric acid. When it comes to the skin, redness, swelling, blisters, and white patches could be seen. Moreover, burns may also occur hours after exposure. While there may not be any pain when an individual first gets burned by hydrofluoric acid, it will appear after a few hours. Fingertip injuries are especially concerning, as they can lead to bone loss, persistent pain, and damage to the nail bed. Mild exposure to this acid can also cause reversible clouding of the cornea, while severe exposure could result in permanent visual defects, blindness, or destruction of the eye. In extreme cases of exposure, adverse health issues, such as cardiac arrest, hypocalcemia, damage to the esophagus, and pulmonary edema, which is an emergency requiring immediate medical attention due to the shortness of breath, can all be side effects of exposure to hydrofluoric acid.
The main source of hydrofluoric acid today is the mineral fluorite, otherwise known as calcium fluoride. This mineral is treated with concentrated sulfuric acid, which produces hydrogen fluoride gas. Furthermore, hydrofluoric acid could also be a byproduct during the production of phosphoric acid from the mineral apatite, which naturally includes fluoride ions and phosphate ions in its chemical makeup.
Hydrofluoric acid is a colorless and highly corrosive inorganic acid, which is very toxic. The common concentration for this acid is nearly forty nine percent, but there are also even stronger solutions, with pure hydrofluoric acid having a boiling point near room temperature. Since hydrofluoric acid is extremely powerful, it has been utilized as a vigorous dehydrating agent by numerous industrial branches. For instance, this specific acid is used in the production of many chemicals, such as pharmaceuticals or plastics. Moreover, it is also used to etch metal, and plays a role when manufacturing silicon semiconductor chips.
In the year of 2015, an unfortunate event took place in Perth, with a lab worker passing away shortly after accidentally spilling hydrofluoric acid. This fatality occurred on November 12, when a thirty seven year old man died in the Intensive Care Unit upon splashing approximately one hundred millimeters of a seventy percent solution of hydrofluoric acid on his right leg a month prior. It was estimated that the extent of the spill covered ten percent of his total body area, but still proved to be lethal.
The individual was working as a technician in a small paleontology laboratory, and although he immediately attempted to remove the spill from his clothes, hosing himself down with water attached to a sink in the laboratory, and even running to a swimming pool in a nearby garden, his right leg had to be amputated. Despite this, the lab worker eventually died two weeks after the initial spill, highlighting how hazardous this acid is.