MULTI-ETCH SAFETY

HYDROFLOURIC ACID VS MULTI-ETCH

If Multi-Etch splashes on your skin, you can simply rinse it off with no ill effects. If you get hydrofluoric acid on your skin, you want to get medical attention quickly or risk significant tissue damage, even if you rinse it right away: HF is an insidious toxin that continues deep into your body hours and even days after you think you've taken care of it sufficiently.

Here is one report on the seriousness of exposure to hydrofluoric acid: Hydrofluoric Acid Accident .

A major difference between Multi-Etch and hydrofluoric acid is that the fluoride in Multi-Etch is always bound up in solution; it is never released into the air. With hydrofluoric acid, fluoride is out-gassed continuously and it's wise to take air quality samples to make sure the fume hood has no back-draft.

The active ingredient in some consumer rust removers is hydrofluoric acid; if you use one of those products, treat it as an extremely hazardous material.