subject: What is the GHS approach to classifying mixtures? [print this page] What is the GHS approach to classifying mixtures?
The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) has a system of classification that divides the hazards into three general categories. The first category is physical hazards. In this category, there are sixteen classes. All of these classes are divided into subcategories ranging from one subcategory up to six. Physical hazards refer to dangers regarding the physical properties of the chemical itself or dangers that people who will be in contact with the product may be exposed to. Generally, the lowest class represents the greatest dangers. The physical hazard classes are:
explosives
flammable gases
flammable aerosols
oxidizing gases
gases under pressure
flammable liquids
flammable solids
self-reactive substances and mixtures
pyrophoric liquids
pyrophoric solids
self-heating substances and mixtures
substances and mixtures which, in contact with water, emit flammable gas
oxidizing liquids
oxidizing solids
organic peroxides
corrosive to metals
The second category of hazards is health hazards. This category has a total of ten hazard classes, which are also divided into subcategories relating to the extremeness of the hazard. Health hazards regard the physical effects a chemical may have on those exposed to it. The following are the health hazard classes:
aspiration toxicity
skin corrosion/irritation
serious eye damage/irritation
respiratory or skin sensitization
germ cell mutagenicity
carcinogenicity reproductive toxicity
specific target organ toxicity STOT single exposure
specific target organ toxicity STOT repeated exposure
aspiration hazard
Finally, there is also a category on environmental hazards. Environmental hazards demonstrate the effects that a chemical may pose to the natural world during or following use. This category is divided into two classes which are aquatic hazards and hazards to the ozone layer. In terms of aquatic hazards, there are only two subcategories: acute aquatic toxicity and chronic aquatic toxicity. There is only one subcategory regarding the ozone and it is referred to as hazardous to the ozone layer.
