HCL in eye :(

I wanted to share this with everyone in hopes of it not happening to anyone else.

I was all done and ready to walk away from my work area and I flipped up my face mask and stood their for a second looking at the project, while standing their with my flipped up facesheild and still wearing my respoerator I did not relieze my shield was up and decided to aggitate the fingers one more time for good measure, Well it only took a drop the size of a pinhead (I saw it coming). Their was a 2 second delay and then the burning began, In the past I have got all kinds of stuff in my eyes over the years working in shops but this was the worst I ripped off my gloves, grabbed my spray bottle, open my eye with my fingers and procieded to spay water right into my eye (not pleasent either but felt better the the acid) the burrning stoped for a few seconds so I went into the house and flushed my eye for 30 min, the burn finaly stoped but I can feel where the HCL did some tissue damage it feels like a piece of sand in your eye. 1 Hr later and everything seems ok Shweew

I Just wanted to share that so the next time you flip up your sheild you will think of me and imidiatly walk away from the project I WILL!!!

Hate to say ive done the same thing only with depleated gold chloride, made my eye turn red but thats about it. Safety glasses or shields ppl.

Luckily, nothing like that has happened to me. I don't wear eye protection other than my normal glasses, but I do normally wear somethign for breathing...

Only bad thing to happen was I was just quickly checking some precipitated gold that had settles and brought it close to me... got a large wiff of SO2 which wasn't too pleasant.

I got a good experiment for anyone to try, when I went back out to my shop after my earlyer incident I looked on my face shield and their was some fluid on it so next time ya run some batches check you protection to see if theirs anything on it so you can say, damm that could have been my eye.

I hang my goggles right on the doorknob of the shop, just so I won’t be tempted to do something simple like stirring or even looking at a process. Many things can make that small droplet fly into your eye, you are lucky it was just HCl.

Wop,

I would have to recommend Erythromyacin gel for your eye. It will kill any bacteria and soothe/aid in healing as well. Experience with all kinds of crap in the eyes. Surprised I'm not blind. Try steel slivers I've heard its a blast when it rusts into the tissue of your eye, and they have to drill out the material, both eye, and steel/rust. :shock:

Nick,

If you have the habit of steel in the eye you might try hard drive magnets for removal. It is still best not to have the problem in the first place.

nicknitro said:

Wop,

I would have to recommend Erythromyacin gel for your eye. It will kill any bacteria and soothe/aid in healing as well. Experience with all kinds of crap in the eyes. Surprised I'm not blind. Try steel slivers I've heard its a blast when it rusts into the tissue of your eye, and they have to drill out the material, both eye, and steel/rust. :shock:

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I know the steel sliver thing to and aluminum is no fun in the eye either, since then I have learned to wear safty glasses when grinding

Oz said:

I hang my goggles right on the doorknob of the shop, just so I won’t be tempted to do something simple like stirring or even looking at a process. Many things can make that small droplet fly into your eye, you are lucky it was just HCl.

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This will be my practice from now on :roll: :shock: :roll: :shock:

I will say one thing, as bad as it could have been it was not, but it was a good reality check for me, I am carfull to begin with about this stuff and today I got a taste of what a goof up can do.

I hope someone that cheats on safty reads this and decides to put on the sheild and learn from my mistake.

Mental note: leave nothing to chance whilst scrapping :!:

Yes I too remember the steel in the eye thing. Or how about the grinding wheel dust in the eye or the flash burn while striking an arch! Sandpaper in the eye all night. I have been there done that BE Careful!

Ray :?

istari9 said:

Yes I too remember the steel in the eye thing. Or how about the grinding wheel dust in the eye or the flash burn while striking an arch! Sandpaper in the eye all night. I have been there done that BE Careful!

Ray :?

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Oh yea Flash burn I remeber that eat 4 x-tylonol, put a potato slice on each eye, cover with a wet washcloth and go to sleep for 6 hrs or do nothing and suffer for a long time LOL.

OMG .. wop1969 take care and take more careful next time. :?

I'm newbie here, well look like safety also play important part of refining. Everyone remember put on your safety gear. :twisted:

I am ultra careful not to do anything without goggles, until friday and I thought, "you should have your goggles on you idiot" But I didnt get them, so I am sorry for your experience but I am glad you posted to remind me that even "you" (i really mean me) can get acid in your eyes etc.
Thanks
Jasin

ppoowweerr said:

I am ultra careful not to do anything without goggles, until friday and I thought, "you should have your goggles on you idiot" But I didnt get them, so I am sorry for your experience but I am glad you posted to remind me that even "you" (i really mean me) can get acid in your eyes etc.
Thanks
Jasin

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Glad to remind you

Just remeber it took one split second and only a drop not even visable probly and WOOOOOOOO WOOOOOOO Lots O Pain.
Funny every time my sheild is up i remeber that moment right befor I touch anything on my table and I flip it down right away, The lesson stuck very well