Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Chemistry/Safety

This is an explanatory essay about Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Chemistry. This page provides additional information about concepts in the page(s) it supplements. This page is not one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community.

Shortcuts WP:MOSCHEM/SAFE WP:Chemical safety

This page in a nutshell: Safety sections should only be included when the information adds something to the article. They are not obligatory and often are inappropriate. It is almost never appropriate to use primary sources in writing a safety section. Reliable secondary sources should be used instead. Regulations, when noteworthy, should not be enumerated.

The majority of compounds could be described by a long list of potential hazards as well as H&P phrases. Wikipedia does not aspire to be a surrogate for MSDS and does not provide advice as a matter of policy. The hazards associated with most chemical compounds are adequately described in the Chembox via GHSPictograms, GHSSignalWord, NFPA, or MainHazard parameters; further elaborated in H and P phrases.

When the safety section is warranted beyond the information in the Chembox, information should be succinctly presented. Pertinent information could be LD50 and TLV. Editors recognize that all chemical compounds could be abused and can be dangerous under diverse circumstances. In cases where the mechanism of toxicity is noteworthy in a chemical context, e.g., the inhibition of myoglobin by carbon monoxide, a separate section within the article is often desirable because it illuminates the chemical subject. In a few cases where the literature and lore on toxicity is extensive, such as cyanide, an entire separate article can be warranted, e.g. cyanide poisoning. Obvious hazards that depend on knowledge of basic chemistry do not warrant inclusion. For example, since hexafluorophosphoric acid is a strong acid, it is not necessary to state that it should be stored away from bases and reactive metals.