Refining communities at risk: Options for reducing hydrofluoric acid (HF) hazards

This session will examine the role of the highly hazardous chemical hydrofluoric acid (HF) used in very large quantities in over 50 U.S. petroleum refineries in 20 states. In the event of an accidental release or terrorist event, HF would be a grave threat to health and safety for refinery workers, emergency responders and communities. Depending on the size of the release, many thousands of people could be at risk. We will present information from the perspectives of environmental and labor organizations regarding primary prevention options for policymakers and the refining industry. We will describe the health and environmental risks faced by those working at, or living near HF-using refineries. We will also explore how the requirements for approaches described as inherently safer, such as the potential for use of a solid acid catalyst would greatly reduce or eliminate risks of HF for hundreds of thousands people. And finally, we will also examine right-to-know as an important part of prevention, preparedness and response to an HF catastrophe.