Nitric acid, 20-70%

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW Appearance: clear to yellow liquid. Danger! May be fatal if inhaled. Causes severe eye and skin burns. Causes severe respiratory and digestive tract burns. Strong oxidizer. Contact with other material may cause a fire. Acute pulmonary edema or chronic obstructive lung disease may occur from inhalation of the vapors of nitric acid. Corrosive to metal. Target Organs: Lungs, eyes, skin, mucous membranes.

Potential health effects

Eye: Causes severe eye burns. Direct contact with liquid may cause blindness or permanent eye damage. Skin: Causes skin burns. May cause deep, penetrating ulcers of the skin. Concentrated nitric acid dyes human skin yellow on contact. Ingestion: May cause severe and permanent damage to the digestive tract. Causes gastrointestinal tract burns. May cause perforation of the digestive tract. May cause systemic effects. Inhalation: Effects may be delayed. Causes chemical burns to the respiratory tract. Inhalation may be fatal as a result of spasm, inflammation, edema of the larynx and bronchi, chemical pneumonitis and pulmonary edema. Aspiration may lead to pulmonary edema. May cause systemic effects. May cause acute pulmonary edema, asphyxia, chemical pneumonitis, and upper airway obstruction caused by edema. Depending on the conditions, the vapor or fumes of nitric acid may actually be a mixture of nitric acid and various oxides of nitrogen. The composition may vary with temperature, humidity, and contact with other organic materials. Chronic: Exposure to high concentrations of nitric acid vapor may cause pneuomonitis and pulmonary edema which may be fatal. Symptoms may or may not be delayed. Continued exposure to the vapor & mist of nitric acid may result in a chronic bronchitis, & more severe exposure results in a chemical pneumonitis. The vapor & mists of nitric acid may erode the teeth, particularly affecting the canines & incisors.