Not all chemicals are stable

Your workers, like many in the U.S., may be around numerous chemicals all day in their jobs. They may not even give it a thought, or they may think that they don’t need to because their supervisors or safety managers take care of that. However, a worker can be his or her own first line of defense, so let’s take a quick look at the issue.

Water reactive materials

Something as simple as adding water to a chemical can be hazardous to a worker. Water reactive substances are dangerous when wet because they undergo a chemical reaction with water. This reaction may release a gas that is either flammable or presents a toxic health hazard. In addition, the heat generated when water contacts such materials is often enough for the item to spontaneously combust or explode. In other words, water reactive materials are incompatible with water.

Sometimes, simply mixing or physically processing certain reactive chemicals can generate intense heat. Do your workers know if the chemicals they handle might:

• React with oxygen in the air, which can cause it to ignite and burn without an ignition source?
• React with air to form unstable peroxides that can explode?
• Chemically react with water?
• Cause other combustible materials to burn faster than they normally would?
• Self-react, which means they polymerize, decompose, or chemically rearrange in an explosive way?
• Be incompatible with other substances, so that when they are brought into contact with each other, uncontrolled chemical reactions can occur?

What we’ve been talking about is a term called reactive chemicals. Some of these chemicals are so unstable, they can undergo a violent reaction in the presence of water or under normal, atmospheric conditions. Reactive substances can:

• Burn,
• Explode,
• Emit dangerous fumes,
• Release flammable or toxic vapors,
• Start uncontrolled chain reactions, or
• Rupture pipes or closed containers.

Known reactive hazards are generally noted on the material safety data sheet (MSDS) for the material. Your workers should check the “Reactivity Data” (or similar) section of the MSDS for the chemicals they are working with to learn:

• Conditions or other materials that can cause reactions with the chemicals, and
• Any dangerous substances that can be produced in reaction with other chemicals or in atmospheric change.

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J. J. Keller's Chemical Hazards Charts gives your employees an easy-to-understand reference for hazard, special hazard, and personal protection codes.

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