An Invisible Fire

I thought about opening this post with images of hydrofluoric acid burns but decided not to do that. If you're desperate to see gruesome images of horrible skin damages, go ahead and click for the search.

I'm happy to say that I don't have any hydrofluoric acid in my storeroom at school. I have sulfuric, nitric, benzoic, hydrochloric, acetic, malonic, and a few other powdered acids. But hydrofluoric acid scares the mess out of me.

See, I first read the article "Invisible Fire" in Discover almost twenty years ago now. The article tells the story of a renter who didn't know to use gloves with hydrofluoric acid. Within an hour, he was in the emergency room hoping not to lose the use of his right hand.

[S]ulfuric is not the acid to be most feared. That distinction belongs to hydrofluoric acid, a compound commonly used in solvents and rust removers, and so powerful that it can be used to etch images on glass. Although the burn it produces initially causes no blisters or changes in skin color, it can leave behind a scarred limb.

Hydrofluoric acid can severely damage the deep tissues of the body yet leave little trace of damage on the skin surface. It can even kill. People have died after a patch of skin no bigger than the sole of the foot was exposed to the substance.

I am totally fine not ever having to worry about one of my students spilling that on their skin.