Why spilling acid is dangerous

Try out PMC Labs and tell us what you think. Learn More. We recommend that sulfuric acid and hydrofluoric acid be classified as chemicals of priority control based on volumes used, toxicity, carcinogenicity, and past significant spill events. Understanding the behavior and transport of spilled strong acids in soil and groundwater environments requires a multi-disciplinary approach, as they can undergo a variety of geochemical and biochemical reactions with complex geomedia.

The toxicity of spilled acid is dependent on the characteristics of the geomedia exposed to the acid and the amount of residual protons following acid—substrate interaction. Soil texture, cation exchange capacity, mineral composition, bedrock type, and aluminum content may be important factors affecting the toxicity of spilled acid in soil-groundwater environments.

We expect that the results of this study will contribute preliminary data for future research on chemical spills. In Korea, chemical spill accidents are becoming more frequent as industrial and economic development progresses. Concern regarding chemical spills has increased in recent years, following several high-profile incidents, including a hydrofluoric acid spill in Gumi in , a hydrochloric acid spill in Sangju during , and a hydrofluoric acid spill in Cheongju in [ 1 ].

Following these accidents, the importance of effective hazardous chemical management was re-emphasized and the Chemicals Control Act CCA was implemented in January Based on risk-level, toxicity, and exposure probability, a total of 97 accident preparedness substances were assigned to be managed under the CCA.

In the present study, we classified the substances into six categories i. The protocol to classify the substances used in this study is shown in Figure 1. On contact with water, acids will dissociate into protons and anions, and a major control of their toxicity is the pH decrease that occurs with increasing proton concentration. At high concentrations, acids also have strong corrosive characteristics.

Exposure of skin, eyes, mucous membrane, or the respiratory system to these acids can result in necrosis or burns. Hydrofluoric acid is extremely toxic and will penetrate tissue because of its highly corrosive properties [ 2 ]. Sulfuric acid is classified by the international agency for research on cancer IARC as a group I carcinogen carcinogenic to humans [ 3 ].

The toxicity of a spilled acid may vary with the physical and chemical properties of geomedia onto which it has spilled. The concentration of protons may decrease if the acid is neutralized during acid—substrate interaction with geomedia. Dissociated anions and cations may be dissolved from geomedia, causing additional toxicity concerns. It is therefore important to understand the fate, behavior, and biogeochemical reaction pathways of acids in the soil-groundwater environment to estimate environmental toxicity.

Existing studies on sulfuric and hydrofluoric acid spills into the subsurface environment, including soil-groundwater environments, are reviewed. The key biogeochemical reaction pathways of sulfuric and hydrofluoric acids in a variety of environmental settings are discussed, in addition to the probable environmental effects. The European Chemicals Agency ECHA database provides substance information, including physical and chemical properties, environmental fate and pathways, ecotoxicological information, and toxicological information.

Similarly, the Hazardous Substances Data Bank HSDB is a toxicology database providing information on human exposure, industrial hygiene, emergency handling procedures, environmental fate, regulatory requirements, nanomaterials, and related areas.

However, in the ECHA database, there is no information on the environmental fate of sulfuric and hydrofluoric acids, including their transformation behavior in air, water, and soil, hydrolysis, biodegradation, bioaccumulation, sorption, and desorption. In the HSDB, information on environmental fate is available for sulfuric acid, but not for hydrofluoric acid. As the pKa value of sulfuric acid is 1.

Sulfuric acid is totally miscible in water. When water is present in the soil environment, the viscosity of a sulfuric acid plume decreases and its mobility increases [ 6 , 7 ]. As a sulfuric acid plume reaches the saturated zone, it migrates downward, as it has a higher density than groundwater, and its concentration decreases by dispersion and diffusion [ 7 ].

As the vapor pressure of sulfuric acid is 5. The pK a value of hydrofluoric acid is 3. When hydrofluoric acid comes into contact with water, a temperature increase occurs and the amount of vapor in the air increases [ 12 ]. Once spilled, most hydrofluoric acid vaporizes; however, some remains in the soil environment and can negatively impact soil and groundwater quality [ 13 ]. The dissociated sulfate anion can be reduced to sulfide or elemental sulfur by sulfate-reducing bacteria in an anaerobic environment [ 14 ].

Sulfuric acid A2 - Suspected human carcinogen. Inhalation: Take precautions to ensure your own safety before attempting rescue e. Move victim to fresh air. Keep at rest in a position comfortable for breathing. If breathing is difficult, trained personnel should administer emergency oxygen. DO NOT allow victim to move about unnecessarily. Symptoms of pulmonary edema may be delayed. Immediately call a Poison Centre or doctor. Treatment is urgently required.

Transport to a hospital. Skin Contact: Avoid direct contact. Wear chemical protective clothing if necessary. Quickly take off contaminated clothing, shoes and leather goods e. Quickly and gently blot or brush away excess chemical. Immediately flush with lukewarm, gently flowing water for at least 30 minutes. If it can be done safely, continue flushing during transport to hospital. Double bag, seal, label and leave contaminated clothing, shoes and leather goods at the scene for safe disposal.

Eye Contact: Avoid direct contact. Wear chemical protective gloves if necessary. Quickly and gently blot or brush chemical off the face. Immediately flush the contaminated eye s with lukewarm, gently flowing water for at least 30 minutes, while holding the eyelid s open. Neutral saline solution may be used as soon as it is available. If necessary, continue flushing during transport to hospital.

Take care not to rinse contaminated water into the unaffected eye or onto the face. Ingestion: Have victim rinse mouth with water. If vomiting occurs naturally, have victim lean forward to reduce risk of aspiration. Have victim rinse mouth with water again. First Aid Comments: Some of the first aid procedures recommended here require advanced first aid training.

All first aid procedures should be periodically reviewed by a doctor familiar with the chemical and its conditions of use in the workplace. Suitable Extinguishing Media: Not combustible. Use extinguishing agent suitable for surrounding fire. Specialized hydrofluoric acid kits also are available for purchase from lab safety suppliers. Many neutralizers for acids or bases have a color change indicator to show when the spill is neutralized. When spilled materials have been absorbed, use brush and scoop to place materials in an appropriate container.

Polyethylene bags may be used for small spills. Five gallon pails or 20 gallon drums with polyethylene liners may be appropriate for larger quantities. Complete a hazardous waste sticker, identifying the material as Spill Debris involving XYZ Chemical, and affix onto the container. Spill control materials will probably need to be disposed of as hazardous waste.

Contact EHS at for advice on storage and packaging for disposal. Decontaminate the surface where the spill occurred using a mild detergent and water, when appropriate.

Report all spills to your supervisor or the Principal Investigator. Developing a Spill Response Plan top An effective spill response procedure should consider all of the items listed below.

Review Safety Data Sheets SDSs or other references for recommended spill cleanup methods and materials, and the need for personal protective equipment e. Acquire sufficient quantities and types of appropriate spill control materials to contain any spills that can be reasonably anticipated. The need for equipment to disperse, collect and contain spill control materials e. After use, please call EHS at to restock. The following emergency response procedures contain minimum specifications that must be followed by all Montana Tech laboratory workers.

These written emergency response procedures must also specify the proper spill control equipment or material to be used. Persons causing simple spills are responsible for cleanup to the extent of their abilities and available personal protective equipment.

Where appropriate, each department must make available appropriate spill control items in each laboratory. Items may include commercial spill control products such as absorbent pads, pillows, rolls, booms, etc.

As a general guideline, spills of less than 1 liter of these materials are considered small. Particularly hazardous substances include select carcinogens, reproductive toxins and substances with a high degree of acute toxicity. Whenever a spill occurs, treat the spill as a potentially dangerous situation until the spill is cleaned up or there are positive indications for example, instrumental monitoring that no hazard is present.

Mercury spills present a special problem because of the difficulty in picking up the tiny droplets and the hazards of undetected residues. Metallic mercury remaining in cracks and crevices will give off toxic vapors for years. Search Montana Tech Search Field. Assessing Spills Persons causing simple spills are responsible for cleanup to the extent of their abilities and available personal protective equipment. A simple spill is defined as one that does not spread rapidly, does not endanger people or property except by direct contact, and does not endanger the environment outside the building.

A simple spill can be neutralized, absorbed, or otherwise managed by the user of the chemical. No notification of emergency responders is necessary for simple spills.