Fluorine distribution in soil in the vicinity of an accidental spillage of hydrofluoric acid in Korea

• The status of F in soil in the vicinity of a spillage of HF in Korea was assessed.
• Soil was not considered to be contaminated with F based on its total concentration.
• Soluble F concentration in soil was significantly affected by the HF spillage.
• F content in rice was affected substantially due to soluble F concentration in soil.
• Soluble F concentration should be assessed when dealing with similar accidents.

This study assessed the status of fluorine (F) in soil in the vicinity of a spillage of anhydrous hydrofluoric acid in Korea. Gaseous hydrogen fluoride dispersed was suspected to have contaminated the surrounding soil environment. Total and water soluble F concentrations in soil within a 1 km radius of the spillage were determined. Total F concentrations (mean = 222 ± 70.1 mg kg−1) were lower than the Korean limit value (i.e., 400 mg kg−1) and several reported measurements of background F concentrations in soils except for a single outlying case. Soluble F concentrations ranged from 0.111 to 6.40 mg kg−1 (mean = 2.20 ± 1.80 mg kg−1). A negative correlation between the soluble F concentration of soil and distance from the spillage was observed. This indicates that the soluble F concentration has a crucial role in fractionating the F concentration arising from a ‘non natural input’ i.e., the spillage. The F content of rice samples seemed to be significantly influenced by the soluble F concentrations of soils. Rice samples collected from the control and affected areas contained 41 mg kg−1 and 578 mg kg−1 of total F, respectively.

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