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7. Boiling Point: The temperature at which a liquid becomes a gas. Care must be taken
to keep liquids below their boiling point because of inhalation and fire hazards.

8. Freezing Point: The temperature at which a liquid becomes a solid (same temperature
as melting point). This is important as volume changes may occur and may rupture
containers (e.g. freezing water in a sealed container can rupture the container – ice
takes up more volume than water).

9. pH: This tells you whether the product is more acidic, more alkaline, or neutral. The pH
is rated from 0 to 14:
 7 is neutral
 Below 7 is acidic
 Above 7 is alkaline (or basic.
The closer to either end (0 or 14), the more corrosive the chemical.

10. Specific Gravity: This deals with the density of a material in water (is it heavier or
lighter than water?). If the specific gravity is more than 1, it will sink in water. If it is less
than 1, the product with float. This information is important for such things as spills and
firefighting (e.g. if gasoline is spilled and catches on fire, you would not want to use
water as gasoline is lighter than water and would sit on top of the water).

11. Coefficient of Water / Oil Distribution: This information tells you if the material is more
likely to mix with oil/grease or water. A value of less than 1 indicates better solubility in
oils and greases. An oil soluable material is more likely to be absorbed through the skin.
A value of greater than1 means the ingredient is more water soluable. This information
can be helpful in developing handling precautions.

Section 4: Fire and Explosion Data

1. Flammability: This information tells you if the product is flammable or combustible
(remember, the word “inflammable” means the same as
flammable) and to what extent. This section deals with the hazards related to Class B
controlled products:
 Gas
 Liquid
 Solid
 Aerosol
 Reactive flammable material

2. Means of Extinction: A list of extinguishers suitable for use on the burning product
should be provided. Extinguishers are rated as:
 “A” – ordinary solid combustibles for use on materials
 “B” – flammable liquids
 “C” – electrical equipment
 “D” – combustible metals

3. Flash Point (C) and Method: The lowest temperature at which a liquid gives off
enough vapour to ignite if an ignition source is available (e.g. open flame or spark). The
lower the flash point, the greater the hazard. The normal room temperature ranges from
16C to 25C. Chemicals with a flash point at or below room temperature can provide
enough vapours during routine handling to cause a flammable atmosphere if a source
of ignition is present.

26 AMHSA