Interactions of hazardous materials Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Interactions of hazardous materials - Essay Example According to the given incident, the ‘class 8’ label on the tanker shows that the liquid is corrosive (like sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid, Sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide). The NFPA diamond with a 0 at 12 o'clock, shows that the liquid will not catch fire, a 2 at 3 o'clock shows that the liquid will undergo violent chemical change under normal conditions, a 4 at 9 o'clock shows that the liquid is deadly and it should not be inhaled or allowed to touch a body part under any condition. A slashed W at 6 o'clock depicts that the no water should be allowed to make contact with the chemical under any condition. The chemical will behave violently in contact with water. thus, it is clear from the label that the dripping liquid will nor catch fire but there is a need to maintain a distance between the dripping liquid, as the dripping liquid is vaporizing at normal temperature and pressure and may penetrate into the body through nasal passages and may harm the internal organs like lungs and throat (â€Å"NFPA Labeling Guide†). After viewing the labels and information available on the truck, it is quite clear that the chemical is lethal and probably has an acidic nature. The UN number 1836 identifies that the chemical is ‘Thionyl Chloride’, which is harsh chemical and reacts vigorously in contact with water and alkaline chemicals.