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CAUSTIC SODA 1823 OR 1824


        Sodium Hydroxide, Caustic Soda, Caustic, Lye, Soda Lye, Sodium Hydrate, White Caustic, all of these are synonyms for the same thing, and its chemical name is NaOH.
        This is a base which means substances in water-solution that are slippery to the touch, taste bitter, react with acids to form salts, and as a consequence bases are sometimes called Alkalines, or Alkaline.
        Just as there are strong and weak acids, there are strong and weak Alkalines. When they are used in industrial processes they are sometimes called caustic soda. Dictionaries make no distinction between Caustic and Corrosive. Both mean about the same thing, just a different word. Like Ford- Mercury, Toyota – Lexus, etc.

        The description is a substance capable of destroying or eating away organic substances; Flesh, Hair, Leather, or Wood. Ouch keep it away, but some people know what it is because they know it as Lye. Yup that soap that cleaned up everything.

        In a liquid form it is color to slightly color appearance (white to yellow) In its solid form it is white to slightly yellow in either lumps, flakes, pellets, sticks, chips, or a solid form in drums. It melts at close to 600 degrees, it is not flammable, and it sinks in water reacting strongly to generate enough heat to ignite nearby combustibles.
        Concentrated water solutions used in commerce are clear, highly caustic, viscous liquids with no odor, containing between 50 – 75% hydroxide. This is a corrosive liquid; solutions may generate hydrogen upon contact with metals such as Zinc, Galvanized Iron, and Aluminum. Geez I wonder what trailers are made of???

        So the health hazards far outweigh the fire hazards, in either solid or solution form, it can destroy human tissue upon contact with deep scarring,. If it’s ingested as little as 1 ounce can and has caused vomiting, collapse and death. Breathing the dust is hard as it’s very heavy, but if you do somehow manage, it will be very irritating and cause extreme damage to the respiratory system. If it gets into your eyes, it REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ACTION, as it works very rapidly to cause severe damage. Flush with water for 15 or more minutes.
        If you come in contact with it, you should remove any contaminated clothing and flush the skin with lots of water for at least 15 minutes.

        For protective clothing, you should have tight fitting goggles, a filter mask, rubber boots (wear the pants outside the boots) and rubber gloves. Above all don’t let it get into any open cuts or sores you have on your body. It will cause real damage or kill you if it gets to any vital areas.

        The commercial uses of the chemical have so many uses that it will be all over the area, Its one of the most common loads that is on the road next to Gasoline and Sulfuric Acid. It reacts with fat and glycerin to make soap. It digests cellulose to make Rayon an Cellophane, it reclaims rubber, dissolves casing to make plastics, mercerize cotton thread, refine oil by removing sulfuric and organic acids and it helps manufacture paper and textiles.
        So you can see that it’s all over in commercial use and therefore you will encounter it a lot. It’s amazing all the trucks that are transporting it in some form or another.