Dropping Acid

This past weekend I was at my family’s house. It was Sunday morning and all four of us (mother, step-father, two sons) were home. My brother was inside practicing the piano and I was outside with my mom working on the pool. My step-dad was also outside trying to fix something. He walked into the cabana and within a few seconds he started screaming, a blood curdling scream (like how I imagined torture victims screaming). My mom and I ran towards the cabana door yelling “What’s wrong?!?!” He stumbled out wiping his face and glasses with his shirt, breathing really hard. He was able to say “Acid… acid on my face… in my mouth…” I sprinted towards the hose spigot and turned it on. My mom grabbed the hose and started running water over his head and in his mouth. By this point my brother was outside. I said “take off your shirt and glasses”. He was breathing hard. “Did you swallow any?” my mom asked (she’s a MD doctor). “I think so, just a little maybe.” I needed to find the bottle to see what the emergency directions recommended. I walked into the cabana and saw I was not prepared to retrieve the bottle. My eyes started burning so I jumped back out. My brother began opening the windows to vent the room. I ran into the house, grabbed a yellow rubber glove and my sandals, ran back, held my breath, and stepped into the cabana. Inside I could see a yellowish liquid all over the back wall and floor. The air burned my eyes and nostrils. I moved fast to the corner, found the white plastic jug on the floor, and brought it outside. It read: Hydrochloric Acid. Damn. The back said flush out with water and if ingested drink water and call 911. My mom was still drenching my step-dad's head and mouth. “It says drink lots of water. Did you get any in your eyes?” “No, I had my glasses on.” “How is your breathing?” “It’s tight.” My mom and I looked at each other both thinking: I hope this doesn’t start an asthma attack. When he had thorough rinsed his head, chest, and mouth out, I said “You should go in with mom and drink two big glasses of water, get your inhaler, and take a shower to clear out your airways.” Soon after he was in the shower my mom called a chemist neighbor. He said that water was the best way to clean up.

My brother got some fans from the house and set them up by the door way. Once the acid vapors had cleared we carried everything with acid splashes out onto the lawn to be washed. My mom hosed everything (floor mats, lawn equipment, gardening tools…) while my brother and I laid out the cleaned stuff on concrete around the pool to dry. Later on, I spayed the cabana floor with water and my brother swept it towards a drain. We left the windows open and the fans on for the rest of the afternoon to make sure the toxic vapors were completely gone.

Luckily, there were only first degree burns on the right side of my step-dad’s face. His mouth, lungs, esophagus, stomach, and eyes were fine. Actually, if he hadn’t been wearing his glasses there would probably be some eye damage. We were all very relieved that there was so little injury.

The acid had an affect on the copper pipes and on only some of the plastics. The copper pipes had a yellowish discoloration and the plastics looked a bit lighter and warped were the acid had been. Interesting.

During dinner we discussed how the accident happened. He had been reaching for the WD-40 next to the bottle of acid and accidentally bumped the bottle which slide off the shelf and dropped onto the floor. There must have been a pressure build up inside the bottle or maybe the lid wasn’t on tight (although it was one of those super-child-proof lids) and when it hit the floor the lid popped off, spraying acid everywhere. Why was there a bottle of hydrochloric acid in the cabana: to clean masonry. Apparently acid is one way to clean grout, stone, and concrete.

In the end everything worked out and only minor injuries were sustained however the situation could have been much worse. And for that, I am grateful.