Key Points

Fire

• Highly flammable
• Forms reactions with strong oxidants
• Emits fumes of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide when heated to decomposition
• In the event of a fire involving acetone, use alcohol resistant foam or fine water spray and normal fire kit with breathing apparatus

Health

• Toxic by inhalation and ingestion
• CHIP Classification: irritant
• Breathing high levels of acetone vapours may cause irritation and tightness of the chest
• Ingestion causes nausea, vomiting and inflammation of the mouth
• Spillages on the skin can cause irritation with redness of the skin, drying and dermatitis
• Eye exposure to liquid and vapours of acetone can cause irritation, leading to corneal damage on prolonged contact
• Long term exposure to acetone can lead to headaches, tiredness, vomiting, convulsions, coma, breathing and central nervous system complications

Environment

• Avoid release into the envionment
• Inform the Environment Agency of substantial releases

 

All sections of the compendia are available to download:

• Incident Management (PDF, 102 KB)