One of the most common, and potentially dangerous, wheel cleaners; its effectiveness removing brake dust and difficult contaminants from chrome wheels is undisputed, but some chemists say ABF presents an unjustifiable and potentially lethal risk to carwash operators and their employees. Industry experts say that the dangers of ABF are clearly outlined on the chemical's Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), and many consciously ignore the obvious risks because ABF is cost effective and reliable. However, some manufacturers and operators worry that Ammonium bifluoride (ABF) is being marketed as a safe alternative to highly-corrosive Hydrofluoric acid (HF), even though the two chemicals pose nearly identical health risks. Experts say that some operators have been lead to believe that ABF is up to 20 times safer than HF and that this misinformation may be causing a time bomb at hundreds of carwashes Hydrofluoric acid; that is a solution of hydrogen fluoride in water, it is corrosive, meaning it will have a detrimental (and sometimes unrecoverable effect on surfaces it’s applied too) and it is also highly poisonous. The application instructions usually state- ‘apply, but do not allow product to remain on the surface for more than 30 seconds before removal with a strong stream of water’. Skin contact with concentrated hydrofluoric acid or inhalation of its vapour has caused many serious injuries, even death. Concentrated solutions of hydrofluoric acid pass quickly through the skin and cause deep, painful burns. Dilute solutions also penetrate the skin, but it does not give the immediate burning sensation caused by the concentrated form of the acid, a user may tend to be less aware of the contact with the acid. There are specific ordinance to enforce Hydrofluoric acid hazard spill control / exposure and treatment methods and specific materials, most of which are just not going to be in the enthusiast or even mobile detailer's toolkit, non-compliance can result in heavy penalties. It also has the unique ability to dissolve almost all inorganic oxides. In the human body, hydrofluoric acid reacts with calcium and damages nerves, bone, and several organs including the heart and kidneys - Hydrofluoric acid - Hydrofluoric acid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Chemists say it's the Fluoride ions in HF and ABF (NH (4) F) that make many wheel cleaners and pre-soaks so potentially dangerous. Whether fluoride ions enter body tissues as the result of inhalation or skin contact, they cause deep, progressive burning that may quickly lead to multi-organ failure and death. Long-term exposure to even minimal amounts of ABF can lead to brittle bones, weight loss, anaemia, and calcified ligaments After reading this information, you may want to run the other way from products such as these. Wheel acids can still be used safely if certain precautions are taken. The first thing I look for is a product that does not have a large concentration level of any kind of acid. If the concentration level of HF even approaches 10%, I look for something else where the level is more in the 5% or less range. Sulphuric acids should be in the 10% or less range. This automatically makes the product less aggressive to start. I also look for the pH level to be as high as possible. I don’t want anything less than a pH of 2.0 in any product I purchase. Remember, the more the number creeps toward the middle, or 7 on the pH scale, the more neutral it becomes, and the safer it is both for you and the wheels. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) also recommend employers provide a series of gels, injections and pills to combat fluoride poisoning. If these precautions sound extreme, think again. Lethal doses of ABF and HF are estimated between one teaspoon and one ounce. A fluoride burn covering less than two percent of the body can be fatal." TOGWT™ Series of Detailing Articles, by Jon Miller TOGWT ™ Ltd (Established 1980) Article submitted 04.2010 © Copyright 2002-2010, all rights reserved Detailing Articles This is one of is one of a series of unbiased and informative, knowledge based, subject specific articles, which are dedicated to the automotive detailing enthusiast or professional detailer in search of development and further education All original material is copyright, unless otherwise stated (1) it may be copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes only provided that you retain all copyright and other proprietary notices contained in the original material, (2) the information is copied in full with no changes unless prior written agreement is obtained from TOGWT™, and a reference to © TOGWT ™ is included, any unauthorized use of these materials may violate copyright laws and/or trademarks. Copyright Protection And intellectual property rights-© This work is registered with the UK Copyright Service that supports international copyright protection by securing independent evidence that will help prove originality and ownership in any future claims or disputes. All intellectual property is the sole property of TOGWT™. If you have made unauthorized use of our material before reading this page, please email information@togwt.com before we discover unauthorized use ourselves. You can always repair this situation before we need to escalate the problem. We use automated web-crawlers (Copyscape) so they can be traced to any website on the internet if needed in a legal confrontation Consent If you are seeking permission to use any of TOGWT copyrighted articles please contact us before using any. We prosecute for breach of any of these conditions: If anyone is found to be using our copyrighted designs or articles from our website TOGWT AUTOMOTIVE DETAILING INSIDE & OUT FOR THE PERFECTIONIST or associated websites, we will prosecute to the full extent of the law and have done so successfully in the past[/QUOTE] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :applause: This is an absolute must read. I have witnessed two colleagues Die a horendous death that everyone around them(including the Doctors and Lab Techs) were sure it was the root cause of there untimely passing. This shit is as serious as a Heart Attack and don't think it won't happen to you :shakehead: P.S Jon I have never read such a lenghty disclaimer. I beleive you have covered your ass well on this one mate :spank: P.S.S. I chopped off the top section, so this quote is going to be one of those f'd up looking quotes. Sorry :duh:
How much exposure do you need? Ive accidently inhaled the fumes from wheel cleaners in the past, like Meg's Hot Rims or Simoniz A2Z...posts like this freak me out a little...
Who really knows. But from this point forward I would limit your exposure to this stuff as much as you can. I have eliminated it all together myself :crasy:
[P.S Jon I have never read such a lengthy disclaimer. I believe you have covered your ass well on this one mate] I’ve learned a couple of lessons from writing / posting stuff on the Internet. a) Copyright protection; I was accused of copy / pasting from a book (then not copy right protected) I was in the process of writing, on one forum and as I couldn’t prove it was my own work I was accused of plagiarism b) Include a disclaimer to cover yourself from lawsuits I ensure every article I write is registered with both the UK Copyright Service and the US Copyright Office Much as I dislike having to include ‘lawyer speak’ in my articles, I was (unsuccessfully) sued because I did not cover my a** sufficiently, it luckily got thrown out as a ‘frivolous lawsuit’ but it was ‘close’ enough for me to seek advice on a disclaimer
One was, one was a chemist/mad scientist :yikes: I'll try :shead: 1) The first one of the ppl I knew who killed over from this was a owner/operator of a deatailshop in a Downtown Garage. Or maybe that should be called a hole. He had a washbay/detailbay combo going on(no ventalation) the whole place hardly measured 15x20 :help: If memorie serves me well it was kidney failure that got him and no, he wasn't an alchollic. He was in his 30's :help: 2) Paul Ilg he was a kid from up north somewhere who somehow ended up here. He started a company called Auto Excellence. They manufactured all there on chemicals and waxes. (and made some of the finest products I have ever used I might add) His company grew and grew. I witnessed him go from a 2 bay abandoned service station to a wharehouse well ovr 10,000 sq ft. He was always mixing it up with the chemicals. He is the only person I have ever known who would be qualified to carry TOGWT jockstrap :giggle: Unfortunatally, Pancratic Cancer got him. I was pretty close to Paul, I use to visit often during his short illness and I heard from the horses mouth(Doctors) these chemicals were most likely the cause of this . He was also in his 30's. I beleive 32 if memory serves me :cig: Look, take it for what its worth. If you beleive this is foolish talk then go be like Richy and drink it :drinking2: And it will only get worse in time. I saw recentally where a lady was suing her pedacurist for doing her toenails wrong :chips:
Thanks for the explanation. It's a real shame these people fell victim to such a crazy disease at that young age. :sorry:
