Reminded me that in HS chemistry I got to perform an "experiment," in which, following instructions, I mixed some F salt with H2SO4 in a dish, which was covered with a small glass plate that had been coated with paraffin wax, with a design scribed in it. No hood in the classroom, so I put the assembly outside the casement window and left it overnight. The glass plate was etched, as expected. I don't recall, but the residues probably went down the sink.

to make high-octane gasoline additives. Alternative to H2SO4. Also, poorer hits, to reduce S in diesel fuel.

This would have mitigated the danger, by making the release very slow.

The standard way to remediate small HF spills is to treat them with a calcium salt or better yet, calcium hydroxide. On skin, where it is very dangerous, since one will not know about the contamination until it is "too late" - a hole appears in the flesh - calcium gluconate is often used.

I doubt though that there was enough calcium hydroxide in all of Los Angeles County to neutralize the HF in that tank.

In the old days, I concede, some high school chemistry teachers used to do relatively dangerous things. To be perfectly honest, my interest in chemistry derives from my high school teacher tossing a piece of sodium metal in a glass beaker and blowing it to pieces.

I should state, to be perfectly honest, that I favor HF/salt eutectics as a means of reprocessing nuclear fuels. It would be, however, a very different ballgame.

until I got to industry, which, at least in my corner, was much less careless.

early 90's in the SF bay area - the shell one had two explosions while I was there - the first was way far from where I was but the second one knocked me out of my chair and things fell off the walls and desks - scary af!