Class 8 - Corrosive Substances

These materials are those that have the ability to destroy skin and membranes by contact, or in the event of spillage, destroy other goods or the transport unit.

Generally when people consider these materials they think of acids and alkali's, but these definitions are not used in transport regulations as not all of these materials are corrosive.

Class 8 covers both solid and liquid materials, and is extensively subdivided by chemical and physical properties, but no differential labelling is required as the basic hazard is the same for them all. However, for safe carriage, Class 8 substances may need segregation - acids and alkalis react together to produce vast amounts of heat.

The main safety consideration for these materials is the choice of the correct container material. Some will attack steel but not aluminium, others will attack glass but not plastics and vice versa.

As with toxic materials, the list of corrosives is almost endless but some of the less obvious ones could be Mercury, pickling solutions, etches, paint strippers, drain cleaners, photographic bleaches and a group of compounds called Amines.

Large volumes of Sulphuric acid are used annually as a treatment for potato crops. Other large scale users include food/soft drinks manufacture, metal plating and treatment, mining and, or course, battery manufacturing industries.

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