Abstract
Objectives: Two case reports present the clinical manifestations and management of hydrofluoric acid burns resulting from an explosion caused by incompatible laboratory liquid wastes. Case reports: The explosion occurred at a university laboratory when a technician placed isopropyl alcohol liquid waste into a waste receptacle containing hydrofluoric acid. The technician received hydrofluoric acid burns in this accident. She was immediately treated with calcium gluconate paste and recovered within 3 months. The second case was a school nurse who came to the scene to help the technician and subsequently developed laryngeal swelling. She was treated with steroids and a nebulized form of calcium gluconate and recovered in 1 week. Neither of them were wearing adequate personal protective equipment. Conclusions: Although liquid waste pooling is a common practice for waste disposal, careful attention should be paid to the compatibility of various liquid wastes. Furthermore, hydrofluoric acid may cause a variety of injuries resulting from different routes of exposure. However, timely treatments with appropriate preparations of calcium gluconate may produce a satisfactory recovery.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 69-73 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Taiwan Journal of Public Health |
Volume | 20 |
Issue number | 1 |
Publication status | Published - 2001 Feb |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health