Peri- and subungual burns caused by hydrofluoric acid.

Hydrofluoric acid (HF) is the inorganic acid of elemental fluorine and is one of the strongest and most corrosive acids, widely used not only in industrial settings (glass etching, electronics and the petrochemical, plastic and dye industries) but also in domestic products, such as cleaning solutions and rust removers (1). Hydrofluoric acid handling is highly dangerous both because it can produce severe cutaneous burns and because it has potential systemic and lethal toxicity (2). Prompt first aid is mandatory to reduce damage after HF cutaneous exposure (3). We report here the occurrence of peri- and subungual blisters after contact with HF in anti-rusting solution