Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet Common Name: SODIUM HYDROXIDE CAS Number: 1310-73-2 Synonyms: Caustic Soda; Lye; Sodium Hydrate RTK Substance Number: 1706 Chemical Name: Sodium Hydroxide DOT Number: UN 1823 (solid) Date: April 2010 Revision: November 2015 UN 1824 (solution) Description and Use EMERGENCY RESPONDERS >>>> SEE LAST PAGE Sodium Hydroxide is an odorless, white solid that absorbs Hazard Summary moisture from the air. It is used to make textiles, cellophane, Hazard Rating NJDHSS NFPA and pulp and paper, in soaps and detergents, and for etching HEALTH - 3 and electroplating. FLAMMABILITY - 0 REACTIVITY - 1 CORROSIVE DO NOT USE WATER Reasons for Citation Sodium Hydroxide is on the Right to Know Hazardous Hazard Rating Key: 0=minimal; 1=slight; 2=moderate; 3=serious; 4=severe Substance List because it is cited by OSHA, ACGIH, DOT, NIOSH, NFPA and EPA. This chemical is on the Special Health Hazard Substance Sodium Hydroxide can affect you when inhaled and by List. passing through the skin. Sodium Hydroxide is a HIGHLY CORROSIVE CHEMICAL and contact can severely irritate and burn the skin and eyes with possible eye damage. Contact can irritate the mouth, nose and throat. Inhaling Sodium Hydroxide can irritate the lungs. Higher SEE GLOSSARY ON PAGE 5. exposures may cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), a medical emergency. FIRST AID Repeated exposure can lead to permanent lung damage. Eye Contact Sodium Hydroxide in contact with water or moisture may Quickly brush off excess chemical from the face. generate enough heat to ignite combustibles. Immediately flush with large amounts of water for at least 30 minutes, lifting upper and lower lids. Remove contact lenses, if worn, while flushing. Seek medical attention Workplace Exposure Limits immediately. OSHA: The legal airborne permissible exposure limit (PEL) is 2 mg/m3 averaged over an 8-hour workshift. Skin Contact Quickly remove contaminated clothing. Immediately blot or brush off excess chemical and wash gently with large NIOSH: The recommended airborne exposure limit (REL) is amounts water for at least 30 minutes. Seek medical 2 mg/m3, which should not be exceeded at any time. attention immediately. ACGIH: The threshold limit value (TLV) is 2 mg/m3, which Inhalation should not be exceeded at any time. Remove the person from exposure. Begin rescue breathing (using universal precautions) if breathing has stopped and CPR if heart action has stopped. The above exposure limits are for air levels only. When skin Transfer promptly to a medical facility. contact also occurs, you may be overexposed, even though Medical observation is recommended for 24 to 48 hours after air levels are less than the limits listed above. overexposure, as pulmonary edema may be delayed. EMERGENCY NUMBERS Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222 CHEMTREC: 1-800-424-9300 NJDEP Hotline: 1-877-927-6337 National Response Center: 1-800-424-8802 SODIUM HYDROXIDE Page 2 of 6 Determining Your Exposure Reproductive Hazard There is no evidence that Sodium Hydroxide affects Read the product manufacturer’s Material Safety Data reproduction. This is based on test results presently Sheet (MSDS) and the label to determine product available to the NJDH from published studies. ingredients and important safety and health information about the product mixture. Other Effects Sodium Hydroxide can irritate the lungs. Repeated For each individual hazardous ingredient, read the New exposure may cause bronchitis to develop with coughing, Jersey Department of Health Hazardous Substance Fact phlegm, and/or shortness of breath. Sheet, available on the RTK website Repeated exposure can lead to permanent lung damage. (http://nj.gov/health/workplacehealthandsafety/right-to- know) or in your facility’s RTK Central File or Hazard Communication Standard file. Medical You have a right to this information under the New Jersey Medical Testing Worker and Community Right to Know Act and the Public For frequent or potentially high exposure (half the PEL or Employees Occupational Safety and Health (PEOSH) Act greater), the following are recommended before beginning if you are a public worker in New Jersey, and under the work and at regular times after that: federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) if you are a private worker. Lung function tests The New Jersey Right to Know Act requires most If symptoms develop or overexposure is suspected, the employers to label chemicals in the workplace and following is (are) recommended: requires public employers to provide their employees with information concerning chemical hazards and controls. Consider chest x-ray after acute overexposure The federal OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (29 Exam of the eyes and vision CFR 1910.1200) and the PEOSH Hazard Communication Any evaluation should include a careful history of past and Standard (N.J.A.C. 12:100-7) require employers to provide present symptoms with an exam. Medical tests that look for similar information and training to their employees. damage already done are not a substitute for controlling exposure. This Fact Sheet is a summary of available information regarding the health hazards that may result from exposure. Request copies of your medical testing. You have a legal right Duration of exposure, concentration of the substance and other to this information under the OSHA Access to Employee factors will affect your susceptibility to any of the potential Exposure and Medical Records Standard (29 CFR 1910.1020). effects described below. Mixed Exposures Smoking can cause heart disease, lung cancer, Health Hazard Information emphysema, and other respiratory problems. It may worsen respiratory conditions caused by chemical exposure. Even if Acute Health Effects you have smoked for a long time, stopping now will reduce The following acute (short-term) health effects may occur your risk of developing health problems. immediately or shortly after exposure to Sodium Hydroxide: Contact can severely irritate and burn the skin and eyes with possible permanent eye damage (corneal opacities), causing blindness. Contact can irritate the mouth, nose and throat. Inhaling Sodium Hydroxide can irritate the lungs causing coughing and/or shortness of breath. Higher exposures may cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), a medical emergency, with severe shortness of breath. Chronic Health Effects The following chronic (long-term) health effects can occur at some time after exposure to Sodium Hydroxide and can last for months or years: Cancer Hazard According to the information presently available to the New Jersey Department of Health, Sodium Hydroxide has not been tested for its ability to cause cancer in animals. SODIUM HYDROXIDE Page 3 of 6 Workplace Controls and Practices Eye Protection Very toxic chemicals, or those that are reproductive hazards or Wear eye protection with side shields or goggles. sensitizers, require expert advice on control measures if a less Wear a face shield along with goggles when working with toxic chemical cannot be substituted. Control measures corrosive, highly irritating or toxic substances. include: (1) enclosing chemical processes for severely irritating and corrosive chemicals, (2) using local exhaust Respiratory Protection ventilation for chemicals that may be harmful with a single Improper use of respirators is dangerous. Respirators exposure, and (3) using general ventilation to control should only be used if the employer has implemented a written exposures to skin and eye irritants. For further information on program that takes into account workplace conditions, workplace controls, consult the NIOSH document on Control requirements for worker training, respirator fit testing, and Banding at www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ctrlbanding/. medical exams, as described in the OSHA Respiratory The following work practices are also recommended: Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134). Label process containers. Where the potential exists for exposure over 2 mg/m3, use a Provide employees with hazard information and training. NIOSH approved negative pressure, air-purifying, particulate Monitor airborne chemical concentrations. filter respirator with an N, R or P100 filter. More protection is Use engineering controls if concentrations exceed provided by a full facepiece respirator than by a half-mask recommended exposure levels. respirator, and even greater protection is provided by a Provide eye wash fountains and emergency showers. powered-air purifying respirator. Wash or shower if skin comes in contact with a hazardous Leave the area immediately if (1) while wearing a filter or material. cartridge respirator you can smell, taste, or otherwise detect Always wash at the end of the workshift. Sodium Hydroxide, (2) while wearing particulate filters Change into clean clothing if clothing becomes abnormal resistance to breathing is experienced, or (3) eye contaminated. irritation occurs while wearing a full facepiece respirator. Do not take contaminated clothing home. Check to make sure the respirator-to-face seal is still good. Get special training to wash contaminated clothing. If it is, replace the filter or cartridge. If the seal is no longer Do not eat, smoke, or drink in areas where chemicals are good, you may need a new respirator. being handled, processed or stored. Consider all potential sources of exposure in your workplace. Wash hands carefully before eating, smoking, drinking, You may need a combination of filters, prefilters or cartridges