Sodium Hydroxide - Chemical Safety Facts
- ️Fri Oct 14 2022
Key Points/Overview
Sodium hydroxide is used to help manufacture a variety of medicines and pharmaceutical products, including aspirin, anticoagulants and cholesterol-reducing medications.
In the energy sector, sodium hydroxide is used in fuel cell production. Fuel cells can cleanly and efficiently produce electricity for a range of applications, including transportation; materials handling; and stationary, portable and emergency backup power applications.
Municipal water treatment facilities use sodium hydroxide to control water acidity and to help remove heavy metals from water. Sodium hydroxide is also used to produce sodium hypochlorite, a water disinfectant.
OSHA has set guidelines and permissible exposure limits for workers in industries and facilities where sodium hydroxide substances are used. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health provides general safety information about transporting sodium hydroxide. The FDA allows sodium hydroxide as a food additive at levels lower than 1 percent.