If you work in a facility that uses corrosive chemicals, it’s important to know the dangers of corrosives and the ways you can become exposed to them.

Health hazards of corrosive materials

Corrosive materials are highly reactive, unstable substances that can seriously injure us if not handled in the right way. Most are either acids or bases (which include caustics or alkalis).

• Acids are often used for cleaning solutions and in manufacturing. They can destroy body tissue.
• Bases are also widely used in cleaning agents and various other products. They can cause severe burns, lung damage, and scarring.
• In addition, some oxidizers, such as fluorine and chlorine, have corrosive properties.

Ways you can be exposed to corrosives

You can be exposed to corrosives:

• By breathing. Even small amounts of corrosive vapors or particles can irritate and burn your nose, mouth, throat, and windpipe; larger amounts can cause severe lung damage.
• By swallowing. Swallowing corrosives accidently can severely damage your mouth, throat, or stomach and, in some cases, can result in an inability to swallow or even cause death.
• By splashes to your eyes. A mist or even a splash of a corrosive can damage eyes. It may only cause irritation, but scarring and blindness can also happen. Bases are especially dangerous to your eyes.
• By contact with your skin. Corrosives that touch your skin can produce irritation such as burns or blisters. Corrosives can sometimes even eat through the skin itself.

Other dangers

Corrosives are also highly reactive chemicals that can cause fire or explosion or react violently if they come in contact with other chemicals, combustible materials, or even water.

Acids react with many metals to release hydrogen, a highly flammable gas that can ignite in air.

Bases are not flammable, but intense heat develops when a solid base is dissolved in water, sometimes causing boiling and spattering over a wide area.

Review the chemical’s label and SDS

Review the corrosive substance’s safety data sheet (SDS) as well as the label on the chemical’s container, before you work with a particular chemical. These valuable sources of information will tell you:

• The hazards of the chemical you are using, including the risk of fire or explosion;
• The particular type of personal protective equipment (PPE) that you need for the corrosive substance you’re working with;
• The first-aid instructions in case you or a coworker is exposed to the corrosive; and
• What you should do if there’s a spill or other emergency.