Hazardous Materials
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| Welcome to the wonderful world of hazardous materials! |
| Basic Haz Mat Terminology |
Boiling Point
Temperature of a substance
when the vapor pressure
exceeds the atmospheric
pressure.
Corrosives
Liquids or solids that can
destroy human skin, or liquids
that can severely corrode steel.
Explosive Range
Range between the upper and
lower flammable limits of a
substance.
Flash Point
Minimum temperature at
which a liquid gives off
enough vapors to form an
ignitable mixture with air near
the surface of the mixture.
IDLH
Immediately Dangerous to Life
and Health---Any atmosphere
that poses an immediate
hazard to life or produces
immediate irreversible,
debilitating effects on health.
Usually expressed in ppm or
mg/m3.
LEL
Lower Explosive Limit---Lowest
percentage of fuel oxygen
mixture required to support
combustion.
Oxidizer
A material which may cause
the ignition of combustible
materials without the aid of an
external source of ignition or
which, when mixed with
combustible materials,
increases the rate of burning of
these materials when the
mixtures are ignited.
Polymerization
A chemical reaction in which
individual molecules combine
to form a single large
chemical molecule (a
polymer). Usually involves the
release of a lot of heat and
energy.
Specific Gravity Weight of
a substance compared to the
weight of an equal volume of
water at a given temperature.
Water is given a rating of 1
UEL
Upper Explosive Limit---
Maximum concentration of
vapor or gas in air that will
allow combustion to occur.
Vapor Pressure
Measure of the tendency of a
substance to evaporate.
Vapor Density
Weight of a given volume of
pure vapor or gas compared to
the weight of an equal volume
of dry air at the same
temperature and pressure. Air
has a density of 1.
HAZWOPER
Hazardous Waste Operations
and Emergency Response
HAHA MICE
Acronym for gases that are
lighter than air. Helium,
Acetylene, Hydrogen,
Ammonia, Methane,
Illuminating Gases (natural
gas, neon) Carbon Monoxide,
Ethane, Ethylene
Temperature of a substance
when the vapor pressure
exceeds the atmospheric
pressure.
Corrosives
Liquids or solids that can
destroy human skin, or liquids
that can severely corrode steel.
Explosive Range
Range between the upper and
lower flammable limits of a
substance.
Flash Point
Minimum temperature at
which a liquid gives off
enough vapors to form an
ignitable mixture with air near
the surface of the mixture.
IDLH
Immediately Dangerous to Life
and Health---Any atmosphere
that poses an immediate
hazard to life or produces
immediate irreversible,
debilitating effects on health.
Usually expressed in ppm or
mg/m3.
LEL
Lower Explosive Limit---Lowest
percentage of fuel oxygen
mixture required to support
combustion.
Oxidizer
A material which may cause
the ignition of combustible
materials without the aid of an
external source of ignition or
which, when mixed with
combustible materials,
increases the rate of burning of
these materials when the
mixtures are ignited.
Polymerization
A chemical reaction in which
individual molecules combine
to form a single large
chemical molecule (a
polymer). Usually involves the
release of a lot of heat and
energy.
Specific Gravity Weight of
a substance compared to the
weight of an equal volume of
water at a given temperature.
Water is given a rating of 1
UEL
Upper Explosive Limit---
Maximum concentration of
vapor or gas in air that will
allow combustion to occur.
Vapor Pressure
Measure of the tendency of a
substance to evaporate.
Vapor Density
Weight of a given volume of
pure vapor or gas compared to
the weight of an equal volume
of dry air at the same
temperature and pressure. Air
has a density of 1.
HAZWOPER
Hazardous Waste Operations
and Emergency Response
HAHA MICE
Acronym for gases that are
lighter than air. Helium,
Acetylene, Hydrogen,
Ammonia, Methane,
Illuminating Gases (natural
gas, neon) Carbon Monoxide,
Ethane, Ethylene
Identifying hazardous materials is probably the single most
important skill that firefighters with any level of haz mat training
should excel at. Below are some useful downloads and links to
assist you in your quest for haz mat identification.
important skill that firefighters with any level of haz mat training
should excel at. Below are some useful downloads and links to
assist you in your quest for haz mat identification.
Oh yes, the mother of them all, the newly
updated 2008 version of the emergency
response guide book. This book is created
jointly between the US DOT and the countries
of Mexico and Canada.
updated 2008 version of the emergency
response guide book. This book is created
jointly between the US DOT and the countries
of Mexico and Canada.
The National Institute of Occupational Safety
and Health publishes this very detailed
version of chemical hazards that includes
vapor densities, LEL and UEL's, etc.
and Health publishes this very detailed
version of chemical hazards that includes
vapor densities, LEL and UEL's, etc.
This is the NFPA 704 symbol. It identifies
certain hazards by assigning numbers to the
colored areas of the diamond. The numbers
go from 0-4, with 4 being the worst hazard.
The blue section identifies health hazards, red
flammability hazards, and yellow reactivity.
The white diamond is for special hazards, as
in the "W" in this case,which means that water
should not be used for extinguishment.
certain hazards by assigning numbers to the
colored areas of the diamond. The numbers
go from 0-4, with 4 being the worst hazard.
The blue section identifies health hazards, red
flammability hazards, and yellow reactivity.
The white diamond is for special hazards, as
in the "W" in this case,which means that water
should not be used for extinguishment.
| IDENTIFYING HAZARDOUS MATERIALS |