In article ,
Frank Erskine writes:
On Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:07:54 +0100, Andy Dingley
wrote:

On 19 Jul 2008 11:44:22 GMT, (Andrew
Gabriel) wrote:

Small quantities quickly cause bone destruction.
I think it's only a catalyst, so it's not used up
in the process and can just cary on going.

It's not a catalytic reaction, but as you point out it's
self-regenerating and so it does carry on until you take action to stop
it.

Just in "tonight's" local evening rag:-

http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/C...age.4303866.jp

which reminds me -- another potential source of hydrofluoric acid
which firemen need to be aware of is the fluoroelastomer synthetic
rubber used to make things like rubber door seals in cars. In certain
specific conditions in a fire, they produce hydrofluoric acid when
burned. This presents a nasty hidden danger for anyone handling a
vehicle after a fire.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]