Key Points

Fire

• Extremely flammable
• Reacts violently with various substances halogenated compounds, hydrogen and oxygen
• Forms carbon dioxide and water when heated to decomposition or carbon monoxide if insufficient oxygen is present
• In the event of a fire involving methane, use fine water spray and normal fire kit with breathing apparatus

Health

• Toxic by inhalation and skin exposure
• CHIP classification: extremely flammable
• Inhalation causes agitation, slurred speech, nausea, vomiting, flushing and headache. In severe cases breathing and heart complications, coma and death may occur 
• Skin contact with liquefied gas may cause frostbite

Environment

• Avoid release into the envionment
• Inform the Environment Agency of substantial releases

 

All sections of the compendia are available to download:

• Methane General Information (PDF, 66 KB)
• Incident Management (PDF, 52 KB)