What hazards are associated with sodium hydroxide?
Contact with very high concentrations of sodium hydroxide can cause severe burns to the eyes, skin, digestive system or lungs, resulting in permanent damage or death. Prolonged or repeated skin contact may cause dermatitis. Repeated inhalation of sodium hydroxide vapor can lead to permanent lung damage.
Is sodium hydroxide hazardous?
Sodium Hydroxide is hazardous to the environment, especially water organisms.
What precautions should one use when working with sodium hydroxide?
Avoid contact with eyes, skin, and clothing. Do not inhale gases, fumes, dust, mist, vapor, and aerosols. Wear protective eyeware, gloves, and clothing. Refer to Section 8.Do not mix with acids.Do not eat, drink, smoke, or use personal products when handling chemical substances.
What is a safe concentration of sodium hydroxide?
2 mg/m3
The current ACGIH (1983) ceiling limit for sodium hydroxide is 2 mg/m3 (TWA); this concentration is also used by NIOSH.
What happens when sodium hydroxide is exposed to air?
NaOH (sodium hydroxide), when exposed to the air, will react with the carbon dioxide in air, to form sodium carbonate (see equation). This means that sodium hydroxide as a solid or in solution will loose its strength with time and degree of exposure and solutions of NaOH will need to be standardised.
What conditions must be avoided with sodium hydroxide?
Conditions to Avoid: Water, moisture or humidity. Generation of dust. Incompatible Materials: Highly reactive. Reacts violently with: many chemicals, including, water, organic acids (e.g. acetic acid), inorganic acids (e.g. hydrofluoric acid), oxidizing agents (e.g. peroxides), metals (e.g. aluminum).
How corrosive is sodium hydroxide?
Sodium hydroxide is strongly irritating and corrosive. It can cause severe burns and permanent damage to any tissue that it comes in contact with. Sodium hydroxide can cause hydrolysis of proteins, and hence can cause burns in the eyes which may lead to permanent eye damage.
Is sodium hydroxide a carcinogen?
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have not classified sodium hydroxide for carcinogenicity in humans.
Can I pour sodium hydroxide down the drain?
Following compounds may be disposed by flushing them down the drain if there are only small quantities: Salts of light metals like calcium chloride or sodium sulfate. Mineral acids (Hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid) Sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide.
Why sodium hydroxide should not be left exposed to air?
Alkalis like sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide should not be exposed to air because both of the chemicals burn rapidly at room temperature.
How do you neutralize sodium hydroxide?
Both acetic and citric acid can be used to neutralize NaOH. However, If you used dilute hydrochloric or sulphuric acid (phosphoric acid), and neutralize with those, the neutral pH could be available.