Anyone involved in the field – manufacturer, marketer, supplier or carrier of hazardous materials is aware of the need to provide together with the material a safety sheet of materials, better known as SDS. On the face of it, this sheet may seem like a typical product of bureaucracy: a complex and cumbersome document that few bother to read. But it must be remembered that the treatment of hazardous substances (HMS) – toxins or harmful chemicals – is not limited to safety and is not done only in the workplace. Hazardous substances are used in the home, office, agriculture and industry, and careless handling of them can lead to heat events that affect our health and the environment as a whole: soil, groundwater, the sea and life in it and of course the air quality. The essential knowledge contained in SDS can save lives and enable effective treatment of such incidents, while minimizing damage
