Hydrofluoric-acid Based Chemicals Are a Danger to Car Wash Workers

A new report issued on Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that hydrofluoric-acid based chemicals are a danger to car wash workers. So it seems that this chemical used in washing commercial vehicles is highly dangerous and toxic, endangering the workforce who deals with it. The study was published by CDC in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, where they clearly wrote that exposure to this nefarious acid might lead to disability and even death.

Hydrofluoric acid is a colorless, corrosive and poisonous solution of hydrogen fluoride. The acid-based chemicals are used by workers who wash cars and trucks. The researchers at the Washington Department of Labor and Industries recently found out about this aspect.

Moreover, unfortunate events have struck car washers, during 2001-2013. Forty-eight workers were faced with burns that resulted from products which contained hydrofluoric acid, whereas a 38-year old man died after ingesting it. It was unknown whether he actually wanted to ingest the chemical or if this happened by accident.

In order to brighten aluminum and remove road dirt, these hydrofluoric acid-based chemicals are used in car wash procedures. Therefore, if the workers had holes in their gloves or wouldn’t wear them, they were injured. They experienced burns to their hands and even head or eyes.

Some of the workers were hospitalized with third-degree burns, and some even needed skin transplants through plastic surgery. Moreover, seven was the total number of hospitalized workers, while three were the ones who displayed those severe burns, and two needed surgical interventions.

One of the researchers, Carolyn Whitaker, from the department of Safety & Health Assessment & Research for Prevention program (SHARP), said that hydrofluoric acid does not cause immediate distress or pain, so its toxicity spreads in a subtle way, at low concentrations in vehicle wash products. Whitaker explained that the acid was “insidiously toxic.” She said that car washers would experience the pain after a while, and then they realized they actually needed treatment.

Whitaker finally pointed out that car wash companies should implement other alternatives to hydrofluoric acid-based products, or, at the least, workers should be instructed to wear protective gloves in order to prevent this specific health hazard.

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