MURIATIC ACID EXPOSURE TO HANDS

A. While it's possible that this was caused by muriatic acid [affil links], it is ludicrous to make that assumption. If he refuses to see a doctor, with all these serious symptoms of something or other, it doesn't look good. Sorry.

A. I can think of two scenarios that might be more probable.

1. He was also using a strong solvent like methylene chloride in the same relative time frame.

2. The more probable is that he also used bleach with the muriatic acid. If that is the case, he is lucky to be alive.

He also very probably has had lung damage but does not want to own up to it.

Muriatic acid would cause considerable pain within a few minutes of prolonged contact, so I have my doubts about a direct cause. My bet is that fumes of something has affected the central nervous system.

PS, I am not a medical person. If you can afford it, drag his butt to a doctor who will probably refer him to a specialist, probably in a large city.

A. He might not go to a doctor because of "other" things that might be found in his system that could be the cause of his problems. You can always call the police and force him into a hospital if you feel this is life threatening. The least they would do is hold him for a while for observation.