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Laboratory safety management and standardized operating procedures for hydrofluoric acid

Xiaojuan Chen, Junxiong Qu, Liuping Chen, Houjin Li   

  1. School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, Guangdong Province, China
  • Received:2026-04-16 Accepted:2026-05-08
  • Contact: Houjin Li E-mail:ceslhj@mail.sysu.edu.cn

Abstract: Hydrofluoric acid is widely used in industry, laboratory research, and some household scenarios. The special hazards and serious health risks caused by fluoride ions are usually underestimated, especially when handling low-concentration solutions, which can easily trigger safety accidents. This research starts from the physical and chemical properties of hydrofluoric acid, and focuses on its safety and health risks, toxicity mechanism and typical accident causation. In view of the problems of imperfect laws and regulations, lack of supervision and loopholes in management system currently, some foreign management standards and practices are systematically studied. This paper proposes that under the framework of the existing hazardous chemicals management system, special management standards and standard operating procedures for hydrofluoric acid should be established by the institutional safety management department and incorporated into current chemical management plans. It is of great practical significance for achieving the intrinsic safety management of hydrofluoric acid and ensuring the safe operation of laboratories and related sites.

Key words: Hydrofluoric acid, Toxicity, Occupational risk, Laboratory safety, Standardized operating procedures