Environmental groups want a federal judge to order an EPA crackdown on the risks posed by oil refineries’ reliance on hydrogen fluoride, a potentially lethal compound used in making high-octane gasoline.
Hydrogen fluoride “is so acutely toxic that exposing just 1% of skin to liquid HF — about a hand’s worth — can be a death sentence,” the Clean Air Council and two other organizations wrote in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
At least 40 refineries around the United States still use the chemical, the suit says, adding that a worst-case accident at some of them could lead to a toxic cloud threatening hundreds of thousands of nearby residents.
“Because HF is hazardous to all life, a refinery-related release could destroy crops, livestock, wildlife, and natural areas,” the challengers added, noting that a 2019 explosion at the now defunct Philadelphia Energy Solutions facility released more than 5,000 pounds of hydrogen fluoride and injured five workers.
