Safety
Like other corrosive acids and alkalis, drops of sodium hydroxide solution can decompose proteins and lipids in skin, eyes or other living tissues via amide hydrolysis and ester hydrolysis which consequently causes chemical burn and may induce permanent blindness if it contacts eyes. Solid alkali may also express its corrosive nature if there is water so protective equipment such as rubber gloves, safety clothing and eye protection should always be used when handling the material or its solutions.
Moreover, dissolution of sodium hydroxide is highly exothermic, and the resulting heat may cause heat burns or ignite flammables. It also produces heat when reacted with acids.
The standard first aid measures for alkali spills on the skin is, as for other corrosives, irrigation with large quantities of water. Washing is continued for at least ten to fifteen minutes.
Sodium hydroxide is corrosive to some metals, e.g. aluminum, which produces flammable hydrogen gas on contact. Sodium hydroxide is also mildly corrosive to glass, which can cause damage to glazing or freezing of ground glass joints. Careful storage is needed.
Read more about this topic: Sodium Hydroxide
Famous quotes containing the word safety:
“Man gives every reason for his conduct save one, every excuse for his crimes save one, every plea for his safety save one; and that one is his cowardice.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
“There is always safety in valor.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Perhaps in a book review it is not out of place to note that the safety of the state depends on cultivating the imagination.”
—Stephen Vizinczey (b. 1933)