HF Safety and hazards!

HF is the most hazardous material we use in our lab

  • Campus Safety: 518-388-6911, report emergency and request ambulance.
  • Ambulance: 911, request ambulance.
  • Ellis Hospital Emergency Room: Phone 518-243-4121, to forewarn the ER of an unusual case arriving.
  • The lab phone requires a 3 before the number.
  • If you are driving (only if faster than ambulance): Go out the north (Nott St.) gate, turn right onto Nott St., at the 5-way intersection with the lights, with Ellis Hospital in front of you, bear left to the north side of Ellis Hospital, look for the Emergency Entrance on the right.

Hydrofluoric Acid (HF) Spill Steps for Olin 330

  1. Determine if you or anyone else in the vicinity of the spill have been exposed to HF, this includes: clothing, skin, eyes, nose, and mouth. If yes, follow the posted decontamination procedures.
  2. Direct all room occupants who have not been exposed to the HF spill to leave the room.
  3. If the spill occurs within a chemical fume hood, close the sash and post a notice on the sash and entry door(s) that the fume hood should not be used for 24 hours and that the sash should be kept closed. Secure all doors.
  4. Only the Director of EHS or Chemcept Inc. personnel should cleanup an HF spill that’s located outside of a chemical fume hood.
  5. If an HF spill occurs outside of the fume hood in Olin 330, place absorbent pads located in the spill kit over the spill without touching it, and over the floor drain to prevent HF from entering the drain. This is the only action you should take, Take these instructions with you, leave the room and pull the nearest fire alarm to evacuate the building.
  6. After you’re in a safe location, Call Campus Safety to report the spill. State clearly: “This is an HF acid spill, H as in Honda, F as in Frank”. Provide the building name, room location and approximate amount spilled.
  7. Ask Campus Safety to contact the Director of EHS to manage the spill cleanup. If the Director is unavailable, Campus Safety should contact Chemcept Inc.
  8. If the spill occurs in a public location, pull the nearest fire alarm to evacuate the building and contact Campus Safety following step 6 and ask them to bring caution tape to mark off the spill location. Stay at the spill site to ensure no one walks through the spill. Once the area is marked off, all personnel should evacuate the building.

Campus Safety 518-388-6911

Exposure of only 2% of your body to concentrated HF can lead to death. It is lethal at concentrations of only 50 ppm in air. Fluoride ions bind rapidly to electrolyte ions in your tissues (e.g., Ca2+), causing severe electrolyte imbalance. Death can occur in as little as 30 minutes. Death is usually from massive organ failure (heart failure, etc.). If you don’t die quickly you will develop severe burns, excruciating pain, and possibly severe bone damage. The idea that HF primarily affects your bones is a common misunderstanding. Bone problems only develop if you survive.

  • Concentrated HF on your skin may initially go unnoticed, because it may cause no initial pain like strong acids do.
  • HF quickly penetrates skin and should be rinsed off instantly (in the lab shower if that is quickest).
  • Immediately after thorough rinsing you should spread on lots of the HF first aid cream (Ca-glauconate) over any possibly affected area.

HF can be used safely. It is used safely in large quantities for industrial applications and in commercial labs. HF requires healthy respect, good lab practices, and appropriate safety precautions.

  1. Set up in a working fume hood, never anywhere else!
  2. Set up your workspace carefully. Get everything you don’t need out of your workspace. Clutter causes accidents.
  3. Wear a lab coat, shoes, apron, the special HF-resistant rubber gloves (not just the thin vinyl gloves), goggles, and a face shield. Check gloves for holes. Double gloves are better.
  4. Be sure the HF ‘antidote’ Ca-glauconate cream is handy. Check the cream expiration date.
  5. Keep the hood sash as low as is convenient for your work.
  6. Review where you can go to quickly wash off spilled HF. Be sure there is nothing obstructing the sinks or the lab shower. Do not worry about the lab shower making a mess, that’s what it’s for.
  7. Take special care with pipettes because they may produce spatter or drips.
  8. When finished, clean up your area and put everything away. Put anything contaminated with HF in the back of the hood and wait a day for it to evaporate before cleaning or discarding (e.g., pipette tips, paper towels).
  9. Dispose of used HF properly.

For more information, see the following papers:

Burke, W.J., Hoegg, U.R., and Phillips, R.E., 1973, Systemic fluoride poisoning resulting from a fluoride skin burn: Journal of Occupational Medicine, v. 15, p.e 39-41.

Greco, R.J., Hartford, C.E., Haith, L.R., and Patton, M.L., 1988, Hydrofluoric acid-induced hypocalcemia: Journal of Trauma-Injury, Infection, and Critical Care, v. 28, p. 1593-1596.

Muilett, T., Zoeller, T., Bingham, H., Pepine, C.J., Prida, X.E., Castenholz, R., and Kirby, R., 1987, Fatal hydrofluoric acid cutaneous exposure with refractory ventricular fibrillation: Journal of Burn Care and Rehabilitation, v. 8, p. 216-219.

Muriale, L., Lee, E., Genovese, J., and Trend, S., 1996, Fatality due to acute fluoride poisoning following dermal contact with hydrofluoric acid in a palynology laboratory. Annals of Occupational Hygiene, v. 40, p. 705-710.

Trevino, M.A., Hermann, G.H., and Sprout, W.L., 1983, Treatment of severe hydrofluoric acid exposure. Journal of Occupational Medicine, v. 25, p. 861-863.

Don’t do this!!