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I received the following request for information from Ernie Lippert, a former CHAS member. I provided my own response, but suggested he might also want to get the opinion of the DCHAS-L, so here it is. My response follows his question; I'd also be curious what everyone else says. Russ Phifer With regards to bench chemists using HF there are two schools of thought: (1) to wear gloves, or (2) not to wear gloves during operations digesting of silicate glasses in Pt dishes. It has been our practice not to wear gloves during these operations. Pt tipped tongs are used to remove the dishes from the hotplate, etc. It has been a long established practice in our laboratory (from which I am now retired but active as a consultant) not to use gloves because good tactile sense is paramount in handling HF. Further, our chemists are almost paranoid about rinsing their hands. Over the past 40 years or so our safety record with respect to HF has been excellent with (to my recollection) only one serious incident. In this current age of PPE it is sometimes hard to argue that perhaps not wearing gloves is the best option. I can offer two arguments: (1) the loss of tactile sense, and (2) the possibility of a pinhole in the glove. This could be disastrous since the wearing of gloves gives a false sense of security and precludes frequent washing. A HF burn does not manifest itself for some hours, after which time extremely serious consequences result. My question to you is do you know of any discussions in the literature that speak to the laboratory handling of HF? I will greatly appreciate your counsel and your thoughts on this matter. Regards, Ernest L. Lippert (Ernie) ACS Member No. 00228463 _____ From: Ernest L. Lippert [mailto:ernielippert**At_Symbol_Here**toast.net] Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2005 6:20 PM To: Russ Phifer Subject: Re: Attn: Russ Phifer Russ, I think it might be interesting to poll the DCHAS-L list on this question. Eye protection is a no-brainer but, while neoprene gloves might sound like a good idea (particularly to those who may not have experience with this specific operation), they do reduce dexterity. I wonder if others might have the same take on it that I do. Regards, Ernie ----- Original Message ----- From: HYPERLINK "mailto:rphifer**At_Symbol_Here**glasmesh.com"Russ Phifer To: HYPERLINK "mailto:ernielippert**At_Symbol_Here**toast.net"'Ernest L. Lippert' Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2005 12:53 PM Subject: RE: Attn: Russ Phifer Ernie - I would be glad to send this request out to the DCHAS-L list as a whole to see what response you get, but I would bet the sentiment would be entirely towards the wearing of gloves. I refer you to page 339 of Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling and Disposal of Chemicals, which addresses the handling of hydrofluoric acid by stating "splash goggles and neoprene gloves should be worn at all times to prevent eye and skin contact". Please let me know if there is anything else you'd like on this. Russ Phifer Chair, DivCHAS WC Environmental, LLC PO Box 1718, 1085C Andrew Drive West Chester, PA 19380 610-696-9220 ext. 12 /610-344-7519 fax rphifer**At_Symbol_Here**glasmesh.com _____ From: Ernest L. Lippert [mailto:ernielippert**At_Symbol_Here**toast.net] Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 11:32 PM To: rphifer**At_Symbol_Here**glasmesh.com Subject: Attn: Russ Phifer Dear Russ, You may not remember me but I was once semi-active in CHAS a number of years ago. I now solicit your help in providing information concerning hydrofluoric acid. With regards to bench chemists using HF there are two schools of thought: (1) to wear gloves, or (2) not to wear gloves during operations digesting of silicate glasses in Pt dishes. It has been our practice not to wear gloves during these operations. Pt tipped tongs are used to remove the dishes from the hotplate, etc. It has been a long established practice in our laboratory (from which I am now retired but active as a consultant) not to use gloves because good tactile sense is paramount in handling HF. Further, our chemists are almost paranoid about rinsing their hands. Over the past 40 years or so our safety record with respect to HF has been excellent with (to my recollection) only one serious incident. In this current age of PPE it is sometimes hard to argue that perhaps not wearing gloves is the best option. I can offer two arguments: (1) the loss of tactile sense, and (2) the possibility of a pinhole in the glove. This could be disastrous since the wearing of gloves gives a false sense of security and precludes frequent washing. A HF burn does not manifest itself for some hours, after which time extremely serious consequences result. My question to you is do you know of any discussions in the literature that speak to the laboratory handling of HF? I will greatly appreciate your counsel and your thoughts on this matter. Regards, Ernest L. Lippert (Ernie) ACS Member No. 00228463 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.362 / Virus Database: 267.13.10/186 - Release Date: 11/29/2005
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