I understand your concerns Denny, I use any chem sparingly and try to avoid combinations when one thing will do the job, and I favor the least problematic approach, which for de-rusting I think is the electrolytic process - partly cuz I get sodium carbonate in 20 kilo bags to use as the only additive [water softener/surfactant] in my big ol antique bottle washing machine, but also I know disposal isn't a problem .... disposal of phosphoric acid really isn't a problem either, well diluted
the hydrocloric acid in Rust Away [in parts per million] is no doubt there for it's pH adjusting quality, the same reason it's
used in swimming pools and municipal waste water treatment, and in many pharma processes including the production of the ascorbic acid supplements many folks commonly ingest - not a good thing in large quantities used indiscriminantly, but not evil by name
the same applies to the glycol and alcohol, very innocuous in dilution, but be suspicious of them being non-specific, glycol is closely related to alcohols, but there are many forms of both compounds [and note
ethylene glycol is the toxic 'sweet' antifreeze,
propylene glycol is the non-toxic one]
consider another product some folks use for de-rusting: "vinegar", strength unspecified ... the easily obtained cheap form is 5-6% acetic acid and is commonly consumed as table vinegar - it's also available in strengths up to about 25%, called 'horticultural grade', used for a variety of things [EPA controlled if labeled as a weed killer/pesticide, otherwise FDA!!] and no doubt would work better for de-rusting [de-scaling actually, like the rust stains in the coffee pot], but while the table variety wouldn't affect you much if applied to your skin, you really don't want to get much of the 25% grade on you, and latex rubber gloves are no protection against high concentrations .... low concentrations top kill weeds/grass, but the roots aren't affected and re-growth is fast, high concentrations kill the roots as well, mostly by the extreme pH effect on the soil, and regrowth is much delayed but natural flushing restores pH soon enough - acetic acid is also a very good concrete etch, as a producer of vinegar I can testify even 6-8% will dissolve the lime out of the surface of a high pressure, polished slab
so is vinegar a danger? depends ...
just 'food for thought', cuz of the thread title
Bill
