Key Points

Fire

• Non flammable
• Reacts with water in the air and attacks metals such as aluminium, tin, lead and zinc to form hydrogen gas
• Generates heat on exposure to acids
• Emits toxic fumes of carbonates, peroxides and sodium oxides when heated to decomposition. Reacts with metals to produce hydrogen gas causing a fire hazard
• In the event of a fire involving sodium hydroxide, use fine water spray and liquid tight chemical protective clothing with breathing apparatus

Health

• Toxic by all routes of exposure
• CHIP classification: corrosive
• Inhalation causes irritation of the eyes and nose with sore throat, cough, chest tightness, headache and confusion
• Ingestion will burn the mouth, throat and stomach 
• Skin contact can result in severe burns
• Eye contact causes pain, twitching of the eyelid, tearing, inflammation, sensitivity to light and severe burns
• Sodium hydroxide is not considered to be carcinogenic

Environment

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

 

All sections of the compendia are available to download:

• Sodium Hydroxide - General Information (PDF, 49 KB)
• Incident Management (PDF, 96 KB)