&quot;Moissan certainly would have inhaled fluorine and hydrogen fluoride fumes during the course of his work, but he managed to avoid becoming a casualty of the halogen—not through any effective safety measures, but by preemptively dying of appendicitis just two months after his Nobel award ceremony.&quot;  Love the writing.  Reminds me of Derek Lowe&#x27;s &quot;Things I Won&#x27;t Work With&quot; series.  See <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;blogs.sciencemag.org&#x2F;pipeline&#x2F;archives&#x2F;2010&#x2F;02&#x2F;23&#x2F;things_i_wont_work_with_dioxygen_difluoride" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;blogs.sciencemag.org&#x2F;pipeline&#x2F;archives&#x2F;2010&#x2F;02&#x2F;23&#x2F;thi...</a> for a favorite.