Key Points

Fire

• Highly flammable
• Reacts with oxidising agents, bases and strong reducing agents
• Emits toxic fumes of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide when heated to decomposition
• In the event of a fire involving methyl ethyl ketone use alcohol resistant foam or fine water spray and normal fire kit in combination with breathing apparatus

Health

• Toxic by all routes of exposure
• CHIP classification: irritant
• Inhalation of high concentrations may cause respiratory irritation and chest tightness
• Ingestion may cause nausea, vomiting, haematemesis and inflammation of the oral mucosa
• Skin contact may cause irritation with erythema, drying and dermatitis
• Systemic effects following inhalation, ingestion or following prolonged skin contact include headache, dizziness, sedation, ataxia, lethargy, slurred speech, nausea, vomiting, hypothermia, convulsions, coma and respiratory depression
• Eye contact with liquid may cause irritation and transient epithelial injury

Environment

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

 

All sections of the compendia are available to download:

• Methyl Ethyl Ketone - General Information (PDF, 39 KB)
• Incident Management (PDF, 60 KB)