CSB Calls on EPA to Review Current Hydrofluoric Acid Study

DULUTH, Minn. – The U.S. Chemical Safety Board released a letter Tuesday asking the EPA to review its current study on Hydrofluoric Acid (HF) and the “viability of utilizing inherently safer alkylation technologies in petroleum refineries.”

CSB Interim Executive Kristen Kulinowski said, “In the last 4 years, the CSB has investigated two refinery incidents where an explosion elevated the threat of a release of HF.  Refinery workers and surrounding community residents are rightly concerned about the adequacy of the risk management for the use of hazardous chemicals like HF.  The EPA should review its 1993 HF study to ensure the health and safety of communities near petroleum refineries utilizing HF.”

HF is a highly toxic chemical that can seriously injure or cause death at a concentration of 30 parts per million (PPM), which is used in about fifty of the U.S.’s approximately 150 refineries, as well as many other industries. In a refinery, the chemical is used as a catalyst in the creation of a blending agent for high octane gasoline.

An explosion at the Husky Energy refinery in Superior in April 2018 sent debris within 150 feet of the refinery’s hydrofluoric acid tank, forcing a large part of the city to evacuate.

Husky spokesman Mel Duvall tells WPR that the refinery has installed additional protections since the blast.

Click here for a look at the letter in full.