Key Points

Fire

• Non flammable
• Reacts violently with ammonia, chlorine water, strong reducing and oxidising agents. Contact with copper, bronze or alkali metals may cause explosions
• Emits toxic fumes of sulphur oxides when heated to decomposition. Produces sulfurous acid when in contact with water
• In the event of a fire involving sulphur dioxide, use fine water spray and liquid tight chemical protective clothing with breathing apparatus

Health

• Toxic by inhalation, dermal and ocular exposure
• CHIP classification: toxic and corrosive
• Inhalation causes irritation to the nose and throat. Exposure to high concentrations causes nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and corrosive damge to the airways and lungs
• Skin contact causes stinging pain, redness of the skin and blisters
• Eye contact causes watering and in severe cases can cause blindness 
• Long-term inhalation may cause breathing problems
• There is no convincing evidence that sulphur dioxide can cause cancer in humans

Environment

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

 

All sections of the compendia are available to download:

• Sulphur Dioxide - General Information (PDF, 34 KB)
• Incident Management (PDF, 104 KB)