handling acid

[nmurph]

i want to tag team on another thread that is currently going on in this forum and tell you about an experience i had this past weekend.

i had gone to Lowe's with the wife and son. i needed some muriatic acid to adjust the PH in my pool and to replace my chainsaw-supply that i had dumped into my pool on thurs. my son is almost 7, a big kid, and is very good about being careful with things when told to do so. when i picked up the jug from the shelf i opened the jug to make sure the seal was in place and then made sure that the lid was on tight. we paid for the acid and he insisted on carrying it to the truck. it was bagged and the wife was walking with him. i headed to the truck to open it up since it was sprinkling rain. as they neared the truck my wife reached to take the bag, when it slipped from her hands and landed on the pavement. somehow this caused the lid to pop off, the seal to rip open, and acid went all over her bare legs and onto my son's arm.
i heard the sound of the jug hitting the pavement and turned to see them standing there. my wife had the stunned look on her face. i asked if it got on her and she it had gotten on her legs and pointed to both. i asked my son the same thing and he said some splashed on his arm. i started screaming for them to head to the restroom and flush the areas with water while i closed the truck. fortunately muriatic acid is dilute and they only suffered some redness and skin irritation that lasted an hour or so, and the velcro on the wife's flip-flops was melted away. i was very relieved that what could have been very serious turned into something relatively minor. if it had been HCL the results would have been much more severe, as i remember from my career as a chemisty student in college.
the moral to the story is that it only takes a second to get hurt because of a chainsaw, even if you are in a parking lot.

 

[HorseShoeInFork]

Good reminder on how quickly bad things could / can happen. Heed the warning and think about what you are doing.

 

[FATGUY]

glad the boy and the Mrs. are ok. A good warning...

 

[Mike PA]

Glad everyone is ok. Good thing it is so dilute. I'm looking at a bottle of HCl in my office that would have a slightly different effect.

 

[Zombiechopper]

Yup, I've had every bad thing that can happen with hydrochloric happen to me. On the skin, in the eyes, inhaled tons of vapours. The biggest thing is to flush with water asap. The concentrations are measured in dgrees on the container. If you are worried get 15 or 20 degree. 28 degree is the industrial stuff. Safe handling should include eye protection and half mask respirator. Nitrile gloves are acid proof. The 3M organic solvent cartridges (yellow striped ones) block 100% of the vapour. I can't smell a thing in the mask with the right cartridges. Exposure to skin if just a small splash will burn for a bit and then the acid will get used up and not continue to burn but it will certainly cause some irritaion.

The good thing about it is that it is one of those chemicals that tells you via pain that it is doing some harm. So many others don't give you any sign that they are hurting you.

 

[CentaurG2]

As a reminder, they used phosgene (mustard gas) in world war one (basically turns into HCL when it contacts the moisture in your lungs). For acid spills, dilution with water and neutralization with a base (baking soda) is the usually the protocol. For bases, dilution with water and neutralization with acid (vinegar) should do the trick. Most strong acids and bases come in shatter proof bottles and are usually reserved for use or dilution in a fume hood.

 

[gwiley]

It is really crazy how many of the chemicals we come in contact with daily are so deadly.

I started welding a few months ago and found out that if you clean steel with brake cleaner then weld on it you can release phosgene gas!!! Apparently bad juju happens when you incinerate brake cleaner.

No need to put on a full body armor suit, just need to stay alert and aware of the hazards in your environment.

 

[pops21]

My dad used to work around acid every day when he was working in a plating shop. I can remember him comming home with his pants and shirts COVERED in holes from the acid. He saw one of his friends back in the 70's burn the skin on his knuckle's all the way to the tendon and bone.

 

[Winn R]

the moral to the story is that it only takes a second to get hurt because of a chainsaw, even if you are in a parking lot.

That makes a good point.

Chainsaws, guns, motorcycles, airplanes -- it pays to spend a moment to be a little fearful when you grab them.

 

[gemniii]

Having had my share of spills, eaten clothing, burned skin, I think, gladly, that your wife and son lucked out. A splash to the eyes could have been terrible.
And I can't help it, but your son is way to young to drop acid.

 

[Zombiechopper]

It is really crazy how many of the chemicals we come in contact with daily are so deadly.

I started welding a few months ago and found out that if you clean steel with brake cleaner then weld on it you can release phosgene gas!!! Apparently bad juju happens when you incinerate brake cleaner.

No need to put on a full body armor suit, just need to stay alert and aware of the hazards in your environment.

next time you are buying brake cleaner look for the non-chlorinated stuff. They make it in large part because of welders Its not really even necessary for steel mig/tig/flux core but it sure helps a lot for aluminum and stainless!

 

[Bounty Hunter]

Glad the son and the Mrs. are OKAY...
Even if he wanted to carry it, a young-un shouldn't be responsible for anything that has a "Skull and Crossbones" on it...

 

[JayB]

Glad everyone's OK.
All the posts have been good, but remember when neutralizing an acid or base, heat is released. Make sure that you rinse extremely well first!

 

[TreePointer]

Just a reminder to all:

If you are using a potentially dangerous chemical or don't know if a chemical is dangerous, read the MSDS before handling it. You don't have to understand every part of the MSDS, but the safe handling instructions and first aid should be understandable by everyone.

Use a simple search on the Internet: CHEMICAL NAME MSDS

Example: muriatic acid MSDS

 

[CGC4200]

chem lab

I turned my thumb yellow from passing over a beaker of hot nitric years ago,
have had clothes ruined from sulfuric ( battery acid) and am aware of
HCL-muriatic used for a masonry cleaner. Strong alkalis are about as bad &
some will react violently with acids to form deadly chlorine gas.
I have heard of homeowners mixing & using acid & alkali drain cleaners &
died from the gas in close areas.