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NFPA 704
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An NFPA Diamond indicating that hazardous materials are stored in this building. |
The NFPA 704 Diamond is a means of disseminating hazard information for a material. The diamond is divided into four sections. Each of the first three colored sections has a number in it associated with a particular hazard. The higher the number is, the more hazardous a material is for that characteristic. The fourth section includes special hazard information. Here are the four sections and an explanation of the numbers in them.
Red -- Flammability Hazard |
Yellow -- Reactivity Hazard |
| 4 - Materials with a flashpoint below 73°F and a boiling point above 100°F |
4 - Material is capable of explosion or detonation at normal temperature and pressure |
| 3 - Materials with a flashpoint below 73°F and a boiling point greater than or equal to100°F, or a flashpoint above 73°F and less than 100°F |
3 - Material is capable of explosion, but requires a strong initiating source, or the material reacts explosively with water |
| 2 - Materials with a flashpoint above 100°F, but not exceeding 200°F |
2 - Material undergoes violent chemical changes at elevated temperature and pressure |
| 1 - Materials with a flashpoint above 200°F |
1 - Normally stable, but can become unstable at elevated temperatures |
| 0 - Materials which normally won't burn |
0-Normally stable |
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Blue -- Health Hazard
4 - Materials with an oral LD50 of less than or equal to 5 mg/kg
3 - Materials with an oral LD50 above 5, but less than 50 mg/kg
2 - Materials with an oral LD50 above 50, but less than 500 mg/kg
1 - Materials with an oral LD50 above 500, but less than 2000 mg/kg
0 - Materials with an oral LD50 above 2000 mg/kg |
White -- Special Hazard |
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Water Reactive |
Oxidizer |
Corrosive |
Radioactive
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The NFPA Diamond was designed by the National Fire Protection Association and describes how a material will react in a fire more so than in normal chemical use. Often, the NFPA Diamond for a particular material will have numbers that are different than a HMIS or University of Memphis label.
The NFPA Diamond is required on buildings where certain quantities of hazardous materials are stored.
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