“The seriousness of poisoning caused by hydrogen fluoride depends on the amount, route, and length of time of exposure, as well as the age and preexisting medical condition of the person exposed.
Breathing hydrogen fluoride can damage lung tissue and cause swelling and fluid accumulation in the lungs (pulmonary edema).
Skin contact with hydrogen fluoride may cause severe burns that develop after several hours and form skin ulcers.”
yikes!
Swallowing only a small amount of highly concentrated hydrogen fluoride will affect major internal organs and may be fatal.
Hydrogen fluoride gas, even at low levels, can irritate the eyes, nose, and respiratory tract. Breathing in hydrogen fluoride at high levels or in combination with skin contact can cause death from an irregular heartbeat or from fluid buildup in the lungs.
Even small splashes of high-concentration hydrogen fluoride products on the skin can be fatal. Skin contact with hydrogen fluoride may not cause immediate pain or visible skin damage(signs of exposure).
Often, patients exposed to low concentrations of hydrogen fluoride on the skin do not show effects or experience pain immediately. And, severe pain at the exposure site may be the only symptom for several hours. Visible damage may not appear until 12 to 24 hours after the exposure.
Depending on the concentration of the chemical and the length of time of exposure, skin contact with hydrogen fluoride may cause severe pain at the point of contact; a rash; and deep, slow-healing burns. Severe pain can occur even if no burns can be seen.
Showing these signs and symptoms does not necessarily mean that a person has been exposed to hydrogen fluoride. Other chemicals also can cause these effects.
Exposure to hydrogen fluoride can result in severe electrolyte problems.
Long-term health effects of acute exposure to hydrogen fluoride
People who survive after being severely injured by breathing in hydrogen fluoride may suffer lingering chronic lung disease.
Skin damage caused by concentrated hydrogen fluoride may take a long time to heal and may result in severe scarring. Fingertip injuries from hydrogen fluoride may result in persistent pain, bone loss, and injury to the nail bed. Eye exposure to hydrogen fluoride may cause prolonged or permanent visual defects, blindness, or total destruction of the eye.
Swallowing hydrogen fluoride can damage the esophagus and stomach. The damage may progress for several weeks, resulting in gradual and lingering narrowing of the esophagus.
Yikes, yikes and more yikes! Glad I am moving back to Wyoming which is the last place to face this sort of thing!
Very nasty stuff. They use it in processing nuclear fuel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_fluoride
Gas plus water equals HF acid.
Hydrogen fluoride is really nasty stuff.