I&#x27;m the opposite of Lowe.  I would never touch HF solutions, and am totally OK with HF gas (and I have used HF gas).  HF solutions are a weak base - which means that quite a bit of it remains as the diatomic molecule HF, which can penetrate cell membranes and wreak havoc in your body.  You can get severely injured without noticing it.  If there&#x27;s any risk of exposure, you need to rub yourself with calcium gluconate cream, ASAP.<p>HF gas, on the other hand, well, it&#x27;s dangerous enough that you&#x27;re going to be taking a ton of precautions around it.  Your setup is going to be under negative pressure, and in a fume hood.  You&#x27;re going to wear thick rubber splashguard over your lab coat, you&#x27;re going to have a checklist of things to do in the procedure, the entire apparatus is teflon, and there&#x27;s a calcium hydroxide scrubber out the other end, and you&#x27;ll never work with more than 10 mL at a time.<p>Lowe&#x27;s account of a leak is a little bit overwrought.  Unless you&#x27;re working in an (idiotic, but I&#x27;ve seen them) positive pressure setup, the best thing to do is to calmly shut the valve to the HF tank, close the fume hood, and walk away.