Summary:
Hydrofluoric acid poisoning is a highly corrosive chemical that can cause a person to suffer a heart attack or a stroke.

Full article:
By . Emily Davies . PUBLISHED: . 12:55 EST, 29 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:55 EST, 29 March 2013 . A 40-year old-man has been arrested in Japan on suspicion of attempting to kill a woman by poisoning her shoes with hydrofluoric acid. Tatsujiro Fukasawa denies charges that he put chemicals in the shoe of a woman he was allegedly stalking in December of last year. The woman, a co-worker of Fukasawa, survived the attack, but she developed gangrene on her left foot, according to Jiji Press. Tatsujiro Fukasawa denies charges that he put chemicals in the shoe of a woman he was allegedly stalking in December of last year (file image) It is alleged the man obtained the poison at his workplace. Hydrofluoric acid is highly corrosive and is often used in oil refining or to dissolve unnecessary rock. But the chemical can also be absorbed through the skin and into a person’s blood stream to cause systemic failure or a heart attack. Because of the ability of hydrofluoric acid to penetrate tissue, poisoning can occur through exposure of skin or eyes, or when inhaled or swallowed. Symptoms of exposure to hydrofluoric acid are not always immediately evident because burns may not initially be painful, but medical treatment is always needed. Hydrofluoric acid be absorbed through skin and into the blood stream to cause systemic failure or a heart attack .