Key Points

Fire

• Highly flammable 
• Reacts violently with various acids and is incompatible with strong oxidisers 
• Emits toxic fumes of cyanide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide when heated to decomposition
• In the event of a fire involving pyridine, use alcohol resistant foam or fine water spray and liquid tight chemical protective clothing with breathing apparatus 

Health

• Toxic by inhalation, ingestion and skin contact
• CHIP classification: harmful 
• Inhalation, ingestion or skin contact can cause headache, dizziness, nervousness, difficulty sleeping, tiredness, weakness and in severe cases coma
• Ingestion can cause sickness and diarrhoea
• Irritant to the eyes, nose, throat and skin
• Long-term exposure can cause damage to the liver and kidneys
• There is no convincing evidence that pyridine can cause cancer in humans

Environment

• Avoid release into the environment
• Inform Environment Agency of substantial release incidents

All sections are available to download in PDF format below:

 

• Pyridine
• Incident Management (PDF, 89 KB)