Hydrofluoric Acid: Burns and Systemic Toxicity, Protective Measures, Immediate and Hospital Medical Treatment

Abstract

Hydrofluoric acid is a commonly used chemical in many industrial branches, but it can also be found as an ingredient in household products such as cleaning agents. Possessing high corrosive potential, HF acid causes burns and tissue necrosis, while when absorbed and distributed through the bloodstream, its extremely high toxic potential is expressed. Acute symptoms are often followed by pain, particularly in the case of skin burns, which intensiveness does not often correlate with the expressiveness of the clinical findings. Even exposure to low-concentrated solutions or gasses, or low-doses of high-concentrated acid, may provoke delayed systemic disorder which may eventually have a lethal outcome.