ASSESSMENT OF REACTIVE CHEMICAL HAZARDS:

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

L. Bretherick *

Available literature sources of data and methods related to assessment of reactive chemical hazards are presented and discussed, with some speculation on possible future developments in this area.

INTRODUCTION

Many people responsible for the promotion of safety in industrial chemical operations have been concerned for a long time with the difficulty in locating information relevant to the hazards associated with using chemicals in industry. This concern has been expressed by the preparation and publication by many individuals and organisations of various guides to chemical safety. The many and varied forms of these guides will be detailed later, but it will now suffice to note that most of them have related to the reactive chemicals, perhaps a couple of hundred or so, which are of commercial significance, and which have found relatively widespread use, in the process industries.

As an organic chemist working in industrial research and development laboratories, I became concerned some years ago with the extreme difficulty of finding information on the possible reaction hazards associated with the use of various research chemicals not yet in widespread use and not therefore covered in the organised safety literature. The latter includes reference books, review articles and the like where original published material has been subjected to information processing and is presented collectively in a form which stresses safety aspects and is readily usable by the practising technologist.

* British Petroleum Co. Ltd., BP Research Centre, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex.

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During work to compile a comprehensive collection of information on reactive chemical hazards, many references related to the assessment of such hazards were uncovered. It occurred to me that a suitable presentation of some of the more significant of the references might form a useful survey of, and introduction to, some aspects of assessment of reactive chemical process hazards, particularly for the benefit of the newcomer to the chemical process safety field.

The first part of the presentation describes sources of basic information on properties of materials and the use of these in a laboratory context. The second and main part covers ways in which this laboratory information has been applied to the assessment and finally the prediction of chemical hazards associated with pilot-plant and larger scale processing operations.

Information sources have been grouped on the basis of the type of information presented therein, with what are considered to be the most generally useful placed first under each heading. Those marked with an asterisk would together provide a general 'chemical hazards' nucleus for a technical chemical library.

SOURCES OF BASIC AND LABORATORY DATA

Basic Materials Data

Review of thermochemical/ - Dannhauser (1973) thermodynamic data sources:

Tabulated physical data: *Perry (1973) *Material Factors (1966-7) (1000 materials) Sax (1968)

Chemical data sheets: M.C.A. series S.D. 1-99 (1947 to date) (99 materials) N.S.C. series 1-604 (1952 to date) (101 materials)

Gas data: *Braker and Mossmann (1971) (130)

B.D.H. Chart (1973) (116)

Data Sources Related to Flammability

Flammability limits: Zabetakis (1965 a, b)

Flash Points: B.D.H. (.1962) (1500) (by trade name) N.F.P.A. 325A (1972) (8,800)

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Autoignition temperatures:

Tabulated data on above 3 aspects:

Dusts:

Hilado and Clark (1972) (300 organics)

*N.F.P.A. 325M (1969) (1300) Stephenson (1972) (1121) Material Factors (1966-7) (1000) F.P.A. 24 (1972) (350)

*Palmer (1973) Dorsett and Nagy (1968) Hartmann (1948)

Review of ignition by impact: Powell (1969)

Data Sources Related to R and D Laboratory Operations

Comprehensive works

Safety manuals:

Reactive hazards

Waste disposal:

Chemicals in Fires

M.C.A. Guide (1972) Steere (1971) Fawcett and Wood (1965)

*Quam (1963) *Muir (1971) (poisoning treatment) •Imperial College (1971) (reactive hazards) Everett (1969) (illustrations) Steere et al (1969-70) Schuerch (1972)

•Bretherick (in press, 1974) (5000 single materials and combinations) N.F.P.A. 491M (1971) (2350 single materials and combinations) Steele and Duggan (1959) (structures of single unstable compounds)

•Stephenson (1972) (1100 materials tabulated) B.D.H. Chart (1970) (wall chart, 370 materials) Voegelein (1966) (corroded cylinders)

*N.F.P.A. 49 (1973) (388 materials) Bahme (1972) Meidl (1972)

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The publications listed above, and particularly those grouped under 'Reactive hazards' will provide information upon chemical materials which have been described as hazardous, either because of their instability, or of their violent interactions when brought into contact either deliberately or accidentally with other materials.

However, it is probably more important to be able to predict future reactive hazards than to recognize existing ones, and it is to this aspect that attention is now turned.

HAZARD ASSESSMENT AND PREDICTION

Publications Related to Process Scale-Up

Process safety analysis:

Information transfer:

Hazardous materials:

Plant design considerations

Pre-startup checklists:

Pilot Plant Manual:

M.C.A. SG-14 (1962) Smith (1965)

Perciful and Edwards (1967)

Graf (1967)

Pratt (1965) Hudson (1967) Manchester Symposia (1960-71)

Marinak (1967)

*P.P.M. (1972) updates and consolidates above U.S. material

Disposal: Deviny (1967) Novak (1972) A.P.I. Manual (1969

Process Hazard Evaluation and Prediction

Qualitative estimation from unit process or material used: Shabica (1963)

from chemical structure: Tomlinson and Audrieth (1950) Bretherick (in press, 1974)

from whole-process view: Spiegelman (1969)

Preliminary hazard screening: Albisser and Silver (1960) (simple thermal tests) Prugh (1967) (DTA tests) Silver (1967) (DTA and other tests) Wankel (1967) (10 tests)

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Evaluation of explosive m a t e r i a l s :

Whole p roces s evaluation:

Predic t ion of energy hazard potential '

Van Dolah (1961) (energy es t ima tes plus sensit ivi ty t e s t s ) Clancey (1971a and b) (available t e s t s d iscussed)

Dow Manual (1966). Now republished in amended form as a C E P Technical Manual, 'Safety and Loss Prevent ion Guides Hazard Classif ication and Pro tec t ion ' , AIChE, (1973) Mate r ia l F a c t o r s (1966-7)

Davis and Ake (1973) (computation) only) Treweek et al (1973)

Predic t ion of r e a l chemical haza rds : Stull (1971, 1973) (computation)

Predic t ion and a s s e s s m e n t of chemical instabi l i ty;

Predict ion of flash points:

Predic t ion of f lammabili ty cha rac t e r i s t i c s ;

Coffee (1969, 1971, 1973) (computation, t h e r m a l and impact stability t e s t s )

Prugh (1973)

Shimy (1970) Hilado (1970)

This section of the review i s very wide in cha rac t e r , covering severa l published techniques. These range from simple a s s e s s m e n t of published data or labora tory tes t r e su l t s , with or without the addition of computation techniques to these a s s e s s m e n t s , through fully quantitative a r i thmet ica l a s s e s s m e n t of react iv i ty and equipment haza rds existing in a pa r t i cu la r plant (or design for a plant), finally extending to computer predict ion of potential or r e a l haza rds in a pa r t i cu la r react ion sys tem. Jus t how far along th is p rogress ion of techniques one should go in any par t i cu la r case will be dictated largely by economic considerat ions t empered by commonsense and overa l l safety cons idera t ions . It would be , cur ren t ly , just as unthinkable for a chemist planning a one-off labora tory prepara t ion to apply the full quantitative t r ea tmen t as it would be for a chemical engineering t e a m planning a pilot or ful l -scale production plant not to do so.

The whole-process evaluation method introduced in the Dow P r o c e s s Safety Manual (1966) i s pa r t i cu la r ly valuable in that it separa te ly quantifies al l a spec t s of react iv i ty haza rds and physical plant fea tures , finally producing a numer ica l ly significant Plant Hazard Rating. This separa te qiantification allows potentially hazardous points in existing or projected ins ta l la t ions to be recognised and ei ther modified or ca te red for in physical protect ive m e a s u r e s and operating p rocedu re s .

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It has however, been known that plant modifications introduced for the sake of operational convenience during and subsequent to commissioning have sometimes not taken into account the full safety implications of the change. For this reason, any modifications should have management approval.

The purely computational technique of Davis and Ake (1973) and Treweek et al (1973) successfully differentiated between shock-sensitive and shock-insensitive compounds, in fairly crood agreement with experimental observations for ranges of 30 to 218 compounds. Since their techniques would also be applicable to criteria other than shock-sensitivity, it should also be of use as a routine method of evaluating compounds for other aspects of their chemical energy hazard potential.

The methods developed by Stull (1971-3) combine computerised assessment of hazard potential from thermodynamic and thermochemical data, with calculation of kinetic behaviour to predict the likely (or "real") chemical hazard, expressible as a Reaction Hazard Index for a particular compound or mixture. In practice, good correlation was found between the RHI and the (subjective) NFPA numerical reactivity ratings established for 80 materials in common industrial use.

The assessment procedure developed by Coffee (1969-73) in­volves initial computation of maximum possible energy release for a compound or reaction mixture. Materials showing a potential energy release exceeding 2.9 MJ/Kg (0.7 kcal/g) are subsequently subjected to impact sensitivity testing and thermal analysis procedures. Combination of the results from these 3 separate procedures enables a compound or mixture to be rated on a scale (of increasing hazard) of 1-8. Further specific tests and detailed examination will then be required for highly rated materials to permit detailed assessment of processing and plant limitations and requirements.

Methods of predicting flash points and flammability characteristics are somewhat limited in precision and types of compound covered.

General Safety Data Sources

Sources which may yield data in related areas or on specific topics include the following:

Plant Design Considerations: Yelland (1966)

Bibliographies etc: Fawcett (1965) Vervalin (1972) C.I.A. List (1973) M.C.A. List (1973)

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Loss Prevent ion (1967-1973) Manches ter Symposia (1960-1971) Major Loss Prevent ion (1971) Combustion Institute Symposia 1 - 14 + European (1928-1973)

A . B . C . M . Summar ies (1930-1964) B . C . I . S . C . Summar ies (1965 to date) M . C . A . Case His tor ies (1950 to date) C . I . S . Ca rds . Publication as separa te c a rd s was discontinued in 1973, but subject ma t t e r continues to be available in C . I . S . Abs t r ac t s Bulletin. A new computer ised index-searching service has become available covering the C . I . S . m a t e r i a l

THE PRESENT POSITION AND FUTURE POSSIBILITIES

The 80-odd re fe rences which have been assembled in this review on a s s e s s m e n t of chemical p r o c e s s haza rds collectively contain a great deal of relevant information, but the major i ty i s qualitative data.

The overa l l future a im in this a r ea of technology will undoubtedly be to provide be t te r and more quantitative evaluation and predict ion mechan i sms . This will involve application of existing haza rd -tes t p rocedures more widely and development of improved and new a s s e s s m e n t methods , both for p re l imina ry screening and in-plant purposes .

Be t te r ways of classifying and present ing bas ic data will be essen t ia l , and in th is context the use of a compute r -based sys tem for the analysis and handling of nuclear safety information was descr ibed by Buchanan and Hutton (1968). To handle the needs of the chemical p r o c e s s indust r ies adequately, involvement of chemical s t ruc ture in the classif icat ion sys t em seems inevitable. In U.S.A. a compute r -based information sys tem (covering toxicity and re la ted data for 60, 000 compounds) has recently become general ly access ib le (Chem.Eng. News, 1974, j>2_ (4), 22-3). Access to a pa r t i cu la r compound may be via a l ternat ive nomencla tures , C . A . S . r eg i s t ry number , molecu la r formula or the s t ruc ture - re la ted Wisswesse r Line Notation.

Be t te r ways of subsequently using the increas ingly available data to produce meaningful quantitative a s s e s s m e n t s and predict ions will a lso undoubtedly involve computer -based p rocedu re s . As the more highly developed test ing and da ta -process ing p rocedures become m o r e

Collected P a p e r s :

Selected Abs t r ac t s :

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readily avai lable, they will be applied with g r e a t e r frequency to haza rd -as ses smen t p rob lems , and at a lower economic threshold on the process ing s i z e - s c a l e .

Pa ra l l e l with these technical developments , the re will be improved training (and, hopefully, c a r e e r p rospec ts ) in th is important special isat ion, both in indust r ia l and academic c i r c l e s . The establ ishment in 1972 of a Chair of Industr ia l Safety at Aston under P ro fes so r Ather ley, and of P rofessor Burgoyne in 1973 at City Universi ty, may be seen as further mi les tones on the long road upon which we al l t r ave l hopefully, towards sat isfactory methods of predicting and controlling or eliminating the hazards associa ted with modern chemical p r o c e s s operat ions .

The following quotation from a chapter peering into the future of chemical safety by Chris t ian (I960) may be of genera l interest-

"With knowledge, a safety vaccine could be designed. Given to new employees , and older employees as needed, it could induce a des i rab le level of safety awareness and performance through increased conscious thought flow and a l t e r t ne s s , just as methedrine is used intravenously as a modern psychiat r ic technique. Environmenta l t emper ing , such as addition of gases to a i r conditioning, might be an effective technique. "

Persona l ly , I feel that e te rna l vigilance is likely to be a m o r e suitable pr ice to pay for chemical p r o c e s s safety than sending our older employees on "air-condi t ioned t r i p s " as foreseen by Chris t ian.

REFERENCES A . B . C . M . Summar ies , 1930-1964, "Pua r t e r ly Safety Summar i e s " , Associat ion of Br i t i sh Chemical Manufac turers , London (continued in 1965 a s B . C . I . S . C . Summar ies ) .

A lb i s se r , R.H. and Silver, L.H. , I960, Ind. Engrg . C h e m . 52 (11), 61A. A. P . I . Manual, 1969, "Manual on Disposal of Refinery Was t e s " Vol 1, Liquid Wastes Vol 2, Gaseous Wastes : Vol 3, Solid Wastes (2 & 3 in prepara t ion) , Amer ican Pe t ro leum Inst i tute , New York, U .S .A .

Aust in, G . T . , in Fawcett , H. H. , and Wood, W. S. , 1965, "Safety and Accident Prevent ion" , In te r sc ience , New York, U .S .A .

Bahme, C. W. , 1972, " F i r e Officers Guide to Dangerous Chemica l s" , National F i r e Protect ion Associat ion, Boston, M a s s . , U .S .A.

B . D . H . , 1962, " F l a s h P o i n t s " , B . D . H . Chemicals Ltd, Poole, England. B . D . H . Chart , 1970, Wall Chart "Spillages of Hazardous Chemica l s" , B . D . H . Chemicals Ltd, Poole, England.

B . D . H . Chart , 1973. Wall Chart " P r o p e r t i e s of Gases" , B . D . H . Chemicals Ltd, Poole, England.

B . C . I . S . C . Summar ie s , 1965 to date, "Quar te r ly Safety S u m m a r i e s " Br i t i sh Chemical Indust r ies Safety Council, London.

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.

Y

Braker, W., and Mossmann, A.L., 1971, "Matheson Gas Data Book",

Matheson Gas Products, E. Rutherford, N.J., U.S.A.

Bretherick, L., 1974 (in press) "Handbook of Reactive Chemical Hazards" Butterworth, London, England.

Buchanan, J.R., and Hutton, F.C., 1968, J. Chem. Educ. 45(6), A487.

Christian, A.H., 1960, "Guidebook for Technical Management", Ind.Engrg. Chem., 52.(1), 93A.

C.I.A. List, 1973, Publications List, British Chemical Industry Safety Council, London.

C.I.S. Cards, 1960 to date. International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre, Geneva, Switzerland.

Clancey, V.J. 1971a, Chem. and Ind., 145. Clancey V.J. 1971b, "Symposium on Chemical Process Hazards with Special Reference to Plant Design", Symposium Publication 33, Institution of Chemical Engineers, London, England.

Coffee, R.D. 1969, "Loss Prevention", 3, 18, a C.E.P. Technical Manual, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, New York. Coffee, R.D., 1971, Fire Technol. 2(1) f

37-Coffee, R.D., 1973, "Loss Prevention", 7_> 58' a C.E.P. Technical Manual, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, New York.

Combustion Institute Symposia, 1928-1973, vols 1-14 and European Symposium, Combustion Institute, Pittsburgh, Penn, U.S.A.

Dannhauser, W., 1973, J. Chem. Educ, 50(7), 493,

Davis, E.J., and Ake, J.A., "Loss Prevention", 1_, 28, a C.E.P. Technical Manual, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, New York.

Deviny, W.M., 1967, Chem. Engrg. Progr., _62(11), 56..

Dorsett, H.G., and Nagy, J. "Dust Explosibility of Chemicals, Drugs, Dyes and Pesticides", Report Invest. 7132, U.S. Bureau of Mines, Washington, D.C.

Dow Manual, 1966, "Process Safety Manual", chem. Engrg. Progr., 62.(8), 193. (Material Factors, 1966-7 is complementary to this) .

Everett, K., 1969, "Safety Handbook", University of Leeds, orkshire.

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Fawcett, H.H., 1965, J. Chem. Educ. , 42(10) , A815, 42(11)', A897.

Fawcett, H.H., and Wood, W.S., 1965, "Safety and Accident Prevention in Chemical Operations", Wiley-Interscience, New York, U.S.A.

F.P.A.24, 1972, "Fire and Related Properties of Industrial Chemicals", Booklet 24, Fire Protection Association, London, England.

Graf, F.A., 1967, Chem. Engrg, Progr., £3(11), 67.

Hartmann, I., 1948, Ind. Engrg. Chem., 40, 752.

Hilado, C.J., 1970, Chem. Engrg., _7Z(12)' 174-

Hilado, C.J., and Clark, S.W., 1972 Chem. Engrg. , _7iU 9)' 75.

Hudson, W.G., 1967, Chem. Engrg. Progr., _6_3(11), 64.

I.F.E., 1962, "Chemical Fires and Chemicals at Fires", 5th edition (amended) Institution of Fire Engineers, Leicester, England.

Imperial College Safety Committee, 1971, "Safety in Chemical Laboratories and Use of Chemicals", Imperial College of Science and Technology, London, England.

Loss Prevention, 1967-1973, "Loss Prevention" series of C.E.P. Technical Manuals, vols 1-7, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, New York.

Manchester Symposia 1-4, 1960, 1963, 1967, 1971, "Chemical Process Hazards with Special Reference to' Plant Design", Institution of Chemical Engineers Symposia Publications Nos 7, 15, 25, 33, London, England.

Major Loss Prevention, 1971, "Major Loss Prevention in the Process Industries", Symposium Publication. No 34, Institution of Chemical Engineers, London, England.

Marinak, M.J., 1967, Chem. Engrg. Progr., j>2(ll), 49.

Material Factors, 1966-7, serially published monthly in Chem. Engrg. Progr., _62^9) , 32 to _63(l0), 53. (Complementary to Dow Manual, 1966)

M.C.A. Case Histories, 1950 to date, "Case Histories of Accidents in the Chemical industry", published monthly, republished as indexed volumes at 2-3 year intervals, Manufacturing Chemists Association, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

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M.C.A. Chemical Safety Data Sheets, 1947-1973, S.D.1-S.D.99 available (each indexing all others), Manufacturing Chemists Association, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

M.C.A. Guide, 1972, "Guide for Safety in the Chemical Laboratory" Manufacturing Chemists Association, published by Van Nostrand-Reinhold, New York, U.S.A.

M.C.A. List, 1973, Publications List, Manufacturing Chemists Association, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

M.C.A. SG-14, 1962, "Safety in the Scale-up and Transfer of Chemical Processes" Safety Guide 14, Manufacturing Chemists Association, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

Meidl, J.H.., 1972, "Hazardous Materials Handbook", Glencoe Press, Beverly Hills, Calif., U.S.A.

Muir, G.D., 1971, "Hazards in the Chemical Laboratory" Royal Institute of Chemistry, London, England.

N.F.P.A. 49, 1973, "Hazardous Chemicals Data", Publication 49, National Fire Protection Association, Boston, Mass., U.S.A.

N.F.P.A. 325A, 1972, "Flash Point Index of Trade Name Liquids" Publication 325A National Fire Protection Association, Boston, Mass., U.S.A.

N.F.P.A. 325M, 1969, "Properties of Flammable Liquids" Publication 325M, National Fire Protection Association, Boston, Mass., U.S.A.

N.F.P.A. 491M, 1971 "Manual of Hazardous Chemical Reactions", Publication 491M, National Fire Protection Association, Boston, Mass., U.S.A.

Novak, R.G., 1972, "Loss Prevention", 6_, 135, a C.E.P. Technical Manual, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, New York.

N.S.C. Safety Data Sheets, 1952-1973, NSC 1 to 604 available (separate index, NSC 486), Natural Safety Council, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

Palmer, K.N., 1973, "Dust Explosions and Fires" Chapman and Hall, London, England.

Perciful, J.C. and Edwards, R.S., 1967, Chem. Engrg. Progr., 63(11), 69.

Perry, R.H., 1973, "Chemical Engineers' Handbook", Section 3, McGraw-Hill, London, England.

Powell, F., 1969, Ind. Engrg, 'Chem. , _6^L(12), 29.

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P.P.M. 1972, "A.I.Ch.E. Pilot Plant Safety Manual", a C.E.P. Technical Manual, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, New York.

Pratt, N.R., 1965, Chem. Engrg. Progr. .61(2), 41.

Prugh, R.W., 1967, Chem. Engrg. Progr. _63(11), 49.

Prugh, R.W., 1973, J. Chem. Educ, J50(2), A85.

Quam, G.N., 1963, "Safety Practice for Chemical Laboratories", Villanova Press, Villanova, Penn., U.S.A.

Sax, N.I., 1968, "Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials" Reinhold Book Corporation, London, England.

Schuerch, C., 1972, J. Chem, Educ, 4-9(11), A637, .49(12), A665,

Shabica, A.C., 1963, Chem Engrg. Progr., .59(9) , 57.

Shimy, A.A., 1970, Fire Technol., .6(2), 135.

Silver, L.H., 1967, Chem. Engrg. Progr., 63 (8) , 43.

Smith, D.T., 1965, Chem. Engrg, Progr., .6^(2), 51.

Spiegelman, A., 1969, "Loss Prevention", _3_, 1, a C.E.P. Technical Manual, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, New York.

Steele, A.B., and Duggan, J.J., 1959, Chem, Engrg, Progr., 59 (9) , 57.

Steere, N.V., et al, 1969-70, Excerpts from various U.S. Company safety manuals, published serially in J. Chem. Educ, .46(6)? A427t to .47(1) , A27.

Steere, N.V., (Ed), 1971 "Handbook of Laboratory Safety", Chemical Rubber Publishing Co., Cleveland, Oh., U.S.A.

Stephenson, F.G., 1972, "Laboratory Waste Disposal Manual", Manufacturing Chemists Association, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

Stull, D.R., 1971, J. Chem, Educ, .48(3), A173. Stull, D.R., 1973, "Loss. Prevention", 1_, 67, a C.E.P. Technical Manual, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, New York.

Tomlinson, W.R., and Audrieth, L.F., 1950, J. Chem. Educ, 27(11)606.

Treweek, D.N., Claydon, C.R. and Seaton, W.H., 1973, "Loss Prevention" a C.E.P. Technical Manual, 1_, 21, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, New York.

\an Dolah, R.W., 1961, Ind. Engrg. Chem., J33_(7), 50A.

Vervalin, C.H., 1972, Int. Hydrocarbon Proc , _51 (4) , 163,^(5), 162

Voegelein, J.F., 1966, J. Chem. Educ, 1966, 43, A151.

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Wankel, R . A . , 1967, "Loss Prevent ion" , 1, 50, a C . E . P . Technical Manual, Amer i can Inst i tute of Chemical Eng inee r s , New York.

Yelland, A . E . J . , 1966. C h e m . Engr . , 44(201), CE214.

Zabetakis , M. G. , 1965a "Flammabi l i ty Cha rac t e r i s t i c s of Combustible Gases and Vapours" , Bulletin No 627, U.S . Bureau of Mines , Washington, D. C. Zabetakis , M. G. , 1965b, " F i r e and Explosion Hazards at T e m p e r a t u r e and P r e s s u r e E x t r e m e s " , p87, P a p e r s of A . I . C h . E . - I . C h e m . E . joint meet ing, London, June 1965.

European Sources of Information Related to Chemical Hazards

Allgemeine Unfal lvers icherungsanstal t - Unfallverhutungsdienst 1010 Vienna Hegelgasse 8 Aus t r i a . Dipl-Ing K. Habeck

Comite' Se'curite'-Hygi^ne de la Federa t ion des Indus t r ies Chimique de Belgique 1040 B r u s s e l s Belgium. C.R. van Gaever

Institut National de Recherche et de Se'curite' pour la Prevent ion des Accidents du Trava i l et des Maladies Profe s sionelle s 30 Rue Ol ivier-Noyer 75680 P a r i s F r a n c e . R. Fah r i

Berufsgenossenschaft der Chemischen Industr ie Ga i sbe rgsy ra s se 11 (Postfach 280) 6900 Heidelberg 1 West Germany. Dr P . Versen

Veiligheidsinsti tut Habbermas t r aa t 22 A m s t e r d a m Z Holland. E . van Ree

Ente Nazionale per la Prevenzione degli Infortuni via Alessandr ia 220 00198 Rome Italy. Dr R. Morel l i

Asociacion pa ra la Prevencion de Accidentes Dr Camino 1 Apartado 527, San Sebastian, Spain. D r M . Blazquez

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S c h w e i z e r i s c h e U n f a l l v e r s i c h e r u n g s a n s t a l t Ab te i lung Unfa l lve rhu tung F l u h m a t t s t r a s s e 1 6002 L u c e r n e S w i t z e r l a n d . D r B . M a r t i

S o c i a l S e c u r i t y A s s o c i a t i o n Sec t ion for P r e v e n t i o n of O c c u p a t i o n a l R i s k s in t h e C h e m i c a l I n d u s t r y ILO Geneva ( S e c r e t a r i a t D6900 H e i d e l b e r g ) . Dr P . V e r s e n

Out l ine of f o r t h c o m i n g book

'Handbook of r e a c t i v e c h e m i c a l h a z a r d s ' L . B r e t h e r i c k ( B u t t e r w o r t h s , 1974)

T h e Handbook i s d e s i g n e d to p r o v i d e c h e m i s t s and s t u d e n t s wi th a c o n d e n s e d guide to a v a i l a b l e i n f o r m a t i o n on c h e m i c a l m a t e r i a l s which a r e known to be h a z a r d o u s b e c a u s e of t h e i r i n s t a b i l i t y , o r t h e i r v io len t i n t e r a c t i o n s when b rough t in to con tac t e i t h e r d e l i b e r a t e l y o r a c c i d e n t a l l y wi th o t h e r m a t e r i a l s .

A l l i n f o r m a t i o n of t h i s type a v a i l a b l e up to Ju ly 1973 h a s b e e n s c a n n e d , e v a l u a t e d , c o n d e n s e d , and p r e s e n t e d in a f o r m which p e r m i t s t h e r e a d y r e t r i e v a l and u n d e r s t a n d i n g of i n f o r m a t i o n r e l e v a n t to s o m e 1700 s ing le e l e m e n t s o r c o m p o u n d s , 3100 dua l c o m b i n a t i o n s , and 220 c o m b i n a t i o n s of t h r e e o r m o r e m a t e r i a l s . O v e r 3400 r e f e r e n c e s to pub l i shed da t a and 120 p r i v a t e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s a r e i nc luded . I n f o r m a t i o n i s p r e s e n t e d in one of two w a y s , depending on i t s t y p e .

I n f o r m a t i o n spec i f i c to an ind iv idua l e l e m e n t o r compound i s indexed in t h e m a i n s e c t i o n of the Handbook on the b a s i s of the conven t iona l ly e x p r e s s e d e m p i r i c a l m o l e c u l a r f o r m u l a c o r r e s p o n d i n g to the compound , n a m e s in a c c o r d a n c e wi th IUPAC r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s .

G e n e r a l in fo rmat ion upon g r o u p s of c o m p o u n d s p o s s e s s i n g c o m m o n f e a t u r e s of s t r u c t u r e of po t en t i a l l y h a z a r d o u s r e a c t i v i t y i s indexed a l p h a b e t i c a l l y u n d e r a su i t ab ly d e s c r i p t i v e g r o u p n a m e , of which t h e r e a r e s o m e 200.

An u n u s u a l l y c o m p r e h e n s i v e s y s t e m of c r o s s - r e f e r e n c e s (4000) r e l a t e s e a c h i nd iv idua l e l e m e n t o r compound to i t s g r o u p n a m e and, c o n v e r s e l y , e a c h of t h e l a t t e r to a l l the m a t e r i a l s which c o m p r i s e tha t g r o u p .

C o l l e c t i v e l y , t h e s e f e a t u r e s a r e i n t ended to f ac i l i t a t e d e c i s i o n s on t h e l i ke ly h a z a r d s wh ich m a y be a s s o c i a t e d wi th m a t e r i a l s o r c o m b i n a t i o n s of m a t e r i a l s which have not b e e n p r e v i o u s l y d e s c r i b e d .

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Future Information

F u r t h e r information on react ive chemical hazards is now being sought for a supplementary volume for publication in 1976.-7.

If you or your colleagues have, or become aware of, information relevant to this topic, please send it to-

L. Bre ther ick British Pe t ro leum Co Ltd B P Resea rch Centre Sunbury on Thame s Middlesex.

Sources of al l i tems included will be acknowledged on publication.

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