3 ms·
I used to work in a semiconductor processing facility many years ago. There were workers who worked with hydrofluoric acid at benches. That stuff was nasty. I
by mchahn 11y ago
I used to work in a semiconductor processing facility many years ago. There were workers who worked with hydrofluoric acid at benches. That stuff was nasty. If it got on your skin it would rapidly dissolve your body down to the bone.
They had their elbows attached to cords. If they jerked their arms back quickly they would be flooded with water from overhead. There were showers with pull cords along the wall that would dump a tremendous amount of water then the cord was pulled.
I assume this ridiculous practice isn't used any more.
- totony 11y agoIt technically goes through the skin and the gloves which is why it attacks bone. Water doesn't solve the problem so I am curious as to why their workspace would be like that, you need a CaCO3 paste if i remember correctly and then head to hospital.
- mchahn 11y agoMy memory could easily be wrong. It was 40 years ago. I've told the story so many times it could have "evolved" over the years. (grin) Maybe something other than water was dumped. You really have to be careful about technical details here on HN. Edit: And maybe water would make a difference before it started eating through the gloves, hence the elbow trick. The showers might have been for other situations.