Previously we went over Section 8 of the Safety Data Sheet that covered exposure controls and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the chemical at hand. But for this next section you will want to pull out your chemistry notes because Section 9 deals with the actual physical and chemical properties of the substance. It covers a comprehensive list of characteristics of the chemical. The minimum required information for this section includes:
- Appearance (color, physical state) – Example: Green Liquid
- Flammability Limits (upper/lower flammability)
- Odor
- Vapor Pressure
- Odor threshold
- Vapor density
- pH
- Relative density (specific gravity)
- Melting/freezing points
- Solubilities
- Initial boiling point and boiling range
- Flash point
- Evaporation rate
- Flammability (solid, gas)
- Partition coefficient
- Auto-ignition temperature
- Decomposition temperature
- Viscosity
It is important to note the above is only the minimum amount of required information for Section 9. If the chemical manufacturer deems other properties to be relevant, they will include those as well. For example, the dust deflagration index (Kst), which classifies dust’s explosive potential, should be included for combustible dust. Furthermore, if some of the information that is required is not relevant or unavailable, that must be noted in the SDS. A simple “not determined” suffices.
Before handling a chemical, be sure to read Section 9 of the SDS to understand the physical and chemical properties of the substance you are dealing with!
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