Guest guest Posted February 23, 2006 Report Share Posted February 23, 2006 In a message dated 23-Feb-06 00:48:16 Central Standard Time, paramedicbbt@... writes: I'm currently taking a chemistry course, and the professor mentioned that HFl is highly dangerous due to the Flouride being absorbed into the body, where it goes to the heart " and can stop it. " I asked a few doctors about this, but none of them knew anything about this. Anybody know anything about it maybe? Thanks, actually, there are three things that happen: first, Hydrogen Fluoride is *INCREDIBLY* corrosive, and causes massive tissue damage on contact. Like lye and other caustic agents, it tends to 'burrow' deep into the tissue and continue to attack. Second, it also tends to bind calcium, which, if the dose of HF is large enough, can cause major shifts in the body's ion balance, which can cause problems with spasm of the skeletal muscles as well as irregularities of the heart beat. Thirdly, even in low doses, the fluoride ion is directly toxic to many intra cellular processes, beyond the destruction and ion binding. To add insult to injury, HF can also degrade glass containers, and if one of a dozen or more chemical reactions occur between the HF and other materials, free fluorine can be release, which has even more of a combustion acceleration factor than free oxygen! see _<http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/hydrogenfluoride/index.html_ (http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/hydrogenfluoride/index.html) > for more information. ck S. Krin, DO FAAFP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2006 Report Share Posted February 23, 2006 i think your talking about HF. hydrogen fluoride. check toxicology websites. it's really bad stuff. eats glass and teflon. gotta keep it in wax lined bottles. i used to work with the stuff. jim davis Blake- wrote: I'm currently taking a chemistry course, and the professor mentioned that HFl is highly dangerous due to the Flouride being absorbed into the body, where it goes to the heart " and can stop it. " I asked a few doctors about this, but none of them knew anything about this. Anybody know anything about it maybe? Thanks, Blake- TX LP, NREMT-P, TX EMSI Cam # US2002034295 " An ambulance can only go so fast It's easy to get buried in the past When you try to make a good thing last. " --------------------------------- Brings words and photos together (easily) with PhotoMail - it's free and works with Yahoo! Mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2006 Report Share Posted February 23, 2006 i think your talking about HF. hydrogen fluoride. check toxicology websites. it's really bad stuff. eats glass and teflon. gotta keep it in wax lined bottles. i used to work with the stuff. jim davis Blake- wrote: I'm currently taking a chemistry course, and the professor mentioned that HFl is highly dangerous due to the Flouride being absorbed into the body, where it goes to the heart " and can stop it. " I asked a few doctors about this, but none of them knew anything about this. Anybody know anything about it maybe? Thanks, Blake- TX LP, NREMT-P, TX EMSI Cam # US2002034295 " An ambulance can only go so fast It's easy to get buried in the past When you try to make a good thing last. " --------------------------------- Brings words and photos together (easily) with PhotoMail - it's free and works with Yahoo! Mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2006 Report Share Posted February 23, 2006 i think your talking about HF. hydrogen fluoride. check toxicology websites. it's really bad stuff. eats glass and teflon. gotta keep it in wax lined bottles. i used to work with the stuff. jim davis Blake- wrote: I'm currently taking a chemistry course, and the professor mentioned that HFl is highly dangerous due to the Flouride being absorbed into the body, where it goes to the heart " and can stop it. " I asked a few doctors about this, but none of them knew anything about this. Anybody know anything about it maybe? Thanks, Blake- TX LP, NREMT-P, TX EMSI Cam # US2002034295 " An ambulance can only go so fast It's easy to get buried in the past When you try to make a good thing last. " --------------------------------- Brings words and photos together (easily) with PhotoMail - it's free and works with Yahoo! Mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 24, 2006 Report Share Posted February 24, 2006 I would think that most ER physicians would be aware of the toxicity of hydrofluoric acid. It is nasty as your teacher suggest, binding up Ca and Magnesium and can cause cardiac arrest. Burns by this substance are very painful. The most common source of toxicity is car cleaners, usually the wheel cleaners. Some contain ammonia biguanide which is also toxic. There is a movement away from these acid cleaners but they are very effective (use gloves when applying.) my 2 cents.... Kirk D. Mahon, MD, ABEM 6106 Keller Springs Rd Dallas, TX 75248 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 24, 2006 Report Share Posted February 24, 2006 I would think that most ER physicians would be aware of the toxicity of hydrofluoric acid. It is nasty as your teacher suggest, binding up Ca and Magnesium and can cause cardiac arrest. Burns by this substance are very painful. The most common source of toxicity is car cleaners, usually the wheel cleaners. Some contain ammonia biguanide which is also toxic. There is a movement away from these acid cleaners but they are very effective (use gloves when applying.) my 2 cents.... Kirk D. Mahon, MD, ABEM 6106 Keller Springs Rd Dallas, TX 75248 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 24, 2006 Report Share Posted February 24, 2006 In a message dated 24-Feb-06 22:11:43 Central Standard Time, ewalsh@... writes: Floruine is the smallest in diameter halide. It is extremely electro positive and is searching for an electron to put it in the noble state of Neon. This makes it the most dangerous halide. Ed Walsh LP Ed, you've got that half backwards....Fluorine is the most *electronegative* element (3.98 on the ing scale, where oxygen is 3.5 or so). You were right in that it does want to gain an electron to fill the outer electron shell, and you are right that this would leave it with filled shells like Neon... _http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronegativity_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronegativity) _http://www.webelements.com/_ (http://www.webelements.com/) S. Krin, DO FAAFP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 24, 2006 Report Share Posted February 24, 2006 Floruine is the smallest in diameter halide. It is extremely electro positive and is searching for an electron to put it in the noble state of Neon. This makes it the most dangerous halide. Ed Walsh LP Question on HFl > I'm currently taking a chemistry course, and the professor mentioned that > HFl is highly dangerous due to the Flouride being absorbed into the body, > where it goes to the heart " and can stop it. " I asked a few doctors about > this, but none of them knew anything about this. Anybody know anything > about it maybe? > > Thanks, > > > > Blake- > TX LP, NREMT-P, TX EMSI > Cam # US2002034295 > " An ambulance can only go so fast > It's easy to get buried in the past > When you try to make a good thing last. " > > > > > > --------------------------------- > Brings words and photos together (easily) with > PhotoMail - it's free and works with Yahoo! Mail. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 24, 2006 Report Share Posted February 24, 2006 Floruine is the smallest in diameter halide. It is extremely electro positive and is searching for an electron to put it in the noble state of Neon. This makes it the most dangerous halide. Ed Walsh LP Question on HFl > I'm currently taking a chemistry course, and the professor mentioned that > HFl is highly dangerous due to the Flouride being absorbed into the body, > where it goes to the heart " and can stop it. " I asked a few doctors about > this, but none of them knew anything about this. Anybody know anything > about it maybe? > > Thanks, > > > > Blake- > TX LP, NREMT-P, TX EMSI > Cam # US2002034295 > " An ambulance can only go so fast > It's easy to get buried in the past > When you try to make a good thing last. " > > > > > > --------------------------------- > Brings words and photos together (easily) with > PhotoMail - it's free and works with Yahoo! Mail. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 25, 2006 Report Share Posted February 25, 2006 You are right I made a mistake. This is where my electrical engineering confuses things. Anything searching so hard for a negative electron has to be extremely positive. Re: Question on HFl > > > In a message dated 24-Feb-06 22:11:43 Central Standard Time, > ewalsh@... writes: > > Floruine is the smallest in diameter halide. It is extremely electro > positive and is searching for an electron to put it in the noble state of > Neon. This makes it the most dangerous halide. > > Ed Walsh LP > > > Ed, you've got that half backwards....Fluorine is the most > *electronegative* > element (3.98 on the ing scale, where oxygen is 3.5 or so). You were > right in that it does want to gain an electron to fill the outer electron > shell, > and you are right that this would leave it with filled shells like > Neon... > > _http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronegativity_ > (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronegativity) > > _http://www.webelements.com/_ (http://www.webelements.com/) > > > S. Krin, DO FAAFP > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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