Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Hands aren’t the same as soft skin!

LearnedAmateur - 7-1-2020 at 05:06

So, I’ve been slowly venturing back into amateur chemistry in my free time. Was emptying the last bit of 96% sulphuric acid out of a litre bottle into a 100mL reagent bottle, and managed to spill some. A few mL of it managed to miss the bottle, hit the table, and splash onto me - burned right through a semi-decent cotton top and shorts, and onto my belly! This is the result 3 days later, it re-emerged after initially disappearing after what looked like mouth canker sores all over my torso.

Remember, even if your hands are unscathed after half a minute or so of enduring mineral acids, the rest of you probably won’t! This was literally an immediate response, less than 10 seconds before I applied copious amounts of wet paper towel.

Be careful with your hazardous chemicals, they’re labelled that way for a very good reason. Luckily I only got away with a half an hour or so of stinging, doing something seemingly so benign.

6F7AA067-4A01-4341-835E-57E1D9570964.jpeg - 129kB 13D7F8D2-5AC7-45D6-B217-B656D937FC80.jpeg - 54kB

[Edited on 7-1-2020 by LearnedAmateur]

TheMrbunGee - 7-1-2020 at 10:30

Quote: Originally posted by LearnedAmateur  
So, I’ve been slowly venturing back into amateur chemistry in my free time. Was emptying the last bit of 96% sulphuric acid out of a litre bottle into a 100mL reagent bottle, and managed to spill some. A few mL of it managed to miss the bottle, hit the table, and splash onto me - burned right through a semi-decent cotton top and shorts, and onto my belly! This is the result 3 days later, it re-emerged after initially disappearing after what looked like mouth canker sores all over my torso.

Remember, even if your hands are unscathed after half a minute or so of enduring mineral acids, the rest of you probably won’t! This was literally an immediate response, less than 10 seconds before I applied copious amounts of wet paper towel.

Be careful with your hazardous chemicals, they’re labelled that way for a very good reason. Luckily I only got away with a half an hour or so of stinging, doing something seemingly so benign.



[Edited on 7-1-2020 by LearnedAmateur]


Also, from experience - larger amounts of concentrated sulfuric acid on skin should be wiped off with something dry, before washing or wiping with something wet, exothermic mixing will add a thermal burn to ones mishap.

Otherwise - these things happen, skin is skin and skin will heal, eyes could have ended up way sadder.

Sulaiman - 7-1-2020 at 21:10

Quote: Originally posted by LearnedAmateur  
A few mL of it managed to miss the bottle, hit the table, and splash onto me - burned right through a semi-decent cotton top and shorts, and onto my belly!

Lucky it went through your cotton top to your belly,
it could have been through your shorts to a more sensitive area :P

markx - 8-1-2020 at 00:06

Sulfuric is nasty stuff! I always get a feeling that I itch all over when I work with it, although there have been no spills that could have ended up on my skin.

XeonTheMGPony - 8-1-2020 at 03:48

As some one who grew up around batteries and had a metric ton of handling of H2SO4 in all concentrations, you should all ways have several liters of mild bicarb solution!

Even if you just think a bit got on you wash with bicarb then water, because other wise all you are doing is diluting it, not removing it

for my lab I have 2 4 liter jugs filled with bicarb that is only for use on the body encase of contact, when in eyes seconds count, so put them some where you can find them even if blinded, and if you remain calm and controlled you will fare fare better then one who panics!

So recap 8L Bicarb solution in a position you can find off memory and feel alone, and practice doing so with eye's closed

If you think some got on you, rinse with bicarb then water.

Herr Haber - 8-1-2020 at 04:33

That's why I cry and shout and curse when I receive a chemicals in HDPE jugs that will obviously spill drops everywhere when pouring.

Last time I had to empty 5 liters of H2SO4 in two glass bottles I wasnt happy at all ! (but I discovered the real color of the floor)

Out of curiosity, how did you manage so many drop from such a small amount ?

LearnedAmateur - 30-1-2020 at 07:09

Quote: Originally posted by Herr Haber  

Out of curiosity, how did you manage so many drop from such a small amount ?


Because I’m an idiot and treated the stuff like water, I don’t exactly have much in the way of PPE. Honestly, it wasn’t much liquid, probably a mL or less that ended up on me, it just happened to spatter when it hit the table - the little burns are only 2-3mm in diameter.

[Edited on 30-1-2020 by LearnedAmateur]

SWIM - 30-1-2020 at 14:35

Quote: Originally posted by Sulaiman  
Quote: Originally posted by LearnedAmateur  
A few mL of it managed to miss the bottle, hit the table, and splash onto me - burned right through a semi-decent cotton top and shorts, and onto my belly!

Lucky it went through your cotton top to your belly,
it could have been through your shorts to a more sensitive area :P


I know somebody who once got a lap-full of chloroform.

Said it was painful.

rockyit98 - 30-1-2020 at 14:57

if you got no lab coat, rain coat it. NileRed did a great video " pouring acid on my my hand". some times it best to not use gloves! but always use eye protection.

symboom - 31-1-2020 at 01:40

That always surprised me had dichloromethane spill on me it was way more painful than HCl acid spill understanding chemistry better the organic solvents and acids are just plain nastier just take glacial acetic acid it's some nasty corrosive stuff