Video Transcript
You should be cautious of acid and
alkali solutions even if they are diluted. You may see this hazard pictogram
on the side of a bottle of dilute acid as well as other chemicals. What does this hazard pictogram
mean? (A) Corrosive, (B) explosive, (C)
flammable, (D) harmful, or (E) toxic.
Hazard pictograms tell us how
dangerous the chemicals we use are and in what way they are dangerous. They let us know how the chemicals
we use may harm people or the environment. There are many different pictograms
with different meanings, and many chemicals have more than one hazard pictogram on
their label. One hazard pictogram contains a
flame symbol. This symbol indicates that a
chemical is flammable. It is similar to the symbol for
oxidizing species.
The hazard pictogram for explosive
chemicals clearly depicts an explosion. The symbol for toxic chemicals is a
skull and crossbones. The symbol showing a hand or
material eroding upon contact with a substance indicates that the substance is
corrosive. There are more hazard pictograms,
but these ones allow us to find the answer to this question.
We have looked at the hazard
pictograms for corrosive, explosive, flammable, and toxic substances. None of them include an exclamation
mark. Thus, neither (A), (B), (C), nor
(E) is the answer to this question. The symbol with the exclamation
mark warns us that the solution is an irritant. The solution is harmful, but it
will not cause immediate damage upon contact with materials. The warning label is most likely to
apply to dilute solutions of acids and alkalis.
Therefore, the hazard pictogram
means that the chemical is (D) harmful.
