Hazardous Materials
What is Considered a Hazardous Material
The term 'hazardous materials' covers a wide range of substances that can cause harm.
A hazardous material is any material that, because of its quantity, concentration, or physical or chemical characteristics, poses a significant or potential hazard to human health and safety or to the environment if released.
The short answer is that the determination if the chemical product is hazardous or not is the responsibility of the manufacturer.
The long answer is a hazardous chemical is defined as a chemical for which there is statistically significant evidence, based on at least one study conducted in accordance with established scientific principles, that acute or chronic health effects may occur in employees who are exposed to the chemical. They include, but are not limited to, carcinogens, toxins, irritants, corrosives, sensitizers, hepatotoxins, nephrotoxins, neurotoxins as well as agents that may cause damage to the blood, lungs, skin, eyes or mucous membranes.
How do you know if it is hazardous?
- Check the container and the package it was shipped in.
- Are there any hazard labels or pictograms?
- Is there a warning statement?
- Did it come with a Safety Data Sheet (SDS)?
- Because some manufacturers are overly conservative, are any hazards listed in section 2 of the SDS?
- Is it similar to other products that are in the inventory?
Look to see if the chemical product has an SDS. Longwood University Chemical Information System
At Longwood University we have three broad divisions of hazardous Materials. They are: