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Date: | Fri, 5 Mar 2021 11:08:05 -0500 |
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> I really wonder whether [name redacted] appreciates the hazards of using formic acid, oxalic acid as well.
Safety is a good point to bring up regularly as some newbees may not know.
In my experience, oxalic crystals seem fairly safe to handle even with bare hands but a bucket of fresh water should *always* be close at hand and baking soda, too, to neutralise acid spills.
The greatest danger in my experience is liquid formic which can splash on the face even when soaked up in mite wipes and, if carried in a bottle can seep into clothing, penetrate the smallest hole in gloves or drip into boots or shoes.
*There is no sensation* and anything more than brief contact with skin may result in losing that skin, not immediately, but a day or two later, with possible deeper burns, *again with no immediate sensation*.
With oxalic, handling the powder with *dry* bare hands seems harmless, but breathing more than a hint of the dust or accidentally getting crystals in the eye is serious.
The dry oxalic acid crystals seem quite inert, but immediately become dangerous when wetted as they are in one's nose, sinus, and lungs, or eyes or hands if hands are wet.
I have not found the sugar oxalic solution to be particularly corrosive but it is something one would definitely not want near the eyes and should be washed off promptly and/or neutralised if in contact with skin or clothing.
This is my experience. YMMV. Be careful out there.
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