Product Safety Code

Albemarle has an extensive program to determine, mitigate, and manage the risk associated with our products.

Albemarle will consider product safety and environmental impact issues or our products through the entire cycle, including inception, design, development, manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution, marketing, use and disposal.

All substances manufactured > 1000 MT/yr globally
Process substances through the Hazard Ranking Tool
Process substances through the Exposure Ranking Tool
Determine overall screening level risk assessment score
Select substance for full risk assessment from high priority substances from screening assessment.
Conduct full risk assessment. Consider all products with >10% of the substance in the full assessment.
Apply risk management if necessary and communicate to the value chain
Hazard Ranking Tool Exposure Ranking Tool Screening Level Risk Assessment Score Risk Management and Communication
Hazard Ranking Tool

Product Safety Management Priority Scheme Hazard Assessment Matrix

Endpoint assessedVery Low Hazard Potential:
Score 1		Low Hazard Potential:
Score 2		Medium Hazard Potential:
Score 3		High hazard potential:
Score 4
Acute oral toxicityGHS cat 5 LD50 > 2000 mg/kg bwGHS cat 4 LD50 > 300 ≤ 2000 mg/kg bwGHS cat 2 and 3 LD50 > 5 ≤ 300 mg/kg bwGHS cat 1 LD50 ≤ 5 mg/kg bw
Acute dermal toxicityGHS cat 5 LD50 > 2000 mg/kg bwGHS cat 4 LD50 > 1000 ≤ 2000 mg/kg bwGHS cat 2 and 3 LD50 > 50 ≤ 1000 mg/kg bwGHS cat 1 LD50 ≤ 50 mg/kg bw
Acute inhalation toxicity GHS cat 5 LC50 > 5000 ppm (gas), or > 20 mg/L Vapor, or > 5 mg/L dust aerosol GHS cat 4 LC50 > 2500 ≤ 5000 ppm (gas), or > 10 ≤ 20 mg/L Vapor, or > 1 ≤ 5 mg/L dust aerosol GHS cat 2 and 3 LC50 > 100 ≤ 2500 ppm (gas), or > 0.5 ≤ 10 mg/L Vapor, or > 0.05 ≤ 1 mg/L dust aerosol GHS cat 1 LC50 ≤ 100 ppm (gas), or 0.5 mg/L Vapor, or 0.05 mg/L dust aerosol
Specific target organ effects after single exposureNot classified no specific target organ effects observedGHS SE Cat. 3 reversible acute target organ effects in humans or animals or respiratory tract irritation.GHS STOT SE Cat. 2: Severe target organ toxicity. Human evidence or: oral rat > 300 mg/kg ≤ 2000 mg/kg; dermal rat or rabbit: > 1000 ≤ 2000 mg/kg; 4 h inh. Rat > 2500 ≤ 20,000 ppm (gas), or > 10 ; mg/L ≤ 20 mg/L vapor, or > 1 ≤ 5 mg/L dust, aerosolGHS STOT SE category 1: human evidence or severe effects observed at ≤300 mg/kg oral rat, ≤ 1000 mg/kg dermal rat or rabbit, ≤ 2500 ppm rat 4 h gas or ≤ 10 mg/L vapour rat 4 h, or ≤ 1 mg/L 4 h rat dust, aerosol
Irritation skinNot irritatingGHS cat 3 irritant, animal 4 h reversible ≥ 1.5 < 2.3 for erythema/eschar in 2 of 3 animals and GHS cat 2 irritant, animal: 4h exposure rev. damage mean ≥ 2.3 <4 erythema, eschar or edema, or inflamation persisting in 2 of 3 animals, or surrogate valid data UN GHS cat 1 A/B/C skin corrosive: animal irreversible damage to skin after up to 4 h of exposure or surrogate data
Irritation eyeNot irritatingUN GHS 3 mild irritant: fully reversible lesions in animals within 7 days or human experience and UN GHS cat 2A animal corneal opacity ≥ 1 < 3, or Iritis ≥ 1 < 3 or conjuctival redness or chemosis ≥ 2 in 2 of 3 animals, or surrogate dataUN GHS cat 1 eye corrosive: animal irreversible damage to eye or cornea opacity ≥ 3 and or iritis > 1.5 in 2 of 3 animals, or surrogate data
Sensitization respiratory and skinNot sensitizingCLP cat 1B weak animal skin sensitizer, or good epidemiological evidence that no human sensitizerUN GHS cat 1, CLP cat 1A or 1 strong Skin sensitizer or potency cannot be assessed: positive animal tests or human experienceUN cat 1 Respiratory sensitizer mostly based on human evidence
MutagenicityNot mutagenic in at least 3 in vitro assays, or if positive, proof that not mutagenic in vivo for the relevant genetic endpointpositive in one in vitro assay and no in vivo data available.UN GHS Cat. 2 positive in vivo genotoxicity assays in somatic cellsUN GHS cat 1 A/B Known germ cell mutagen
CarcinogenicityNot classified based on sufficient dataNo data on carcinogenicity and absence of indications in repeated dose and mutagenicity tests.UN GHS cat. 2 suspected carcinogen based on limited data or threshold mode of action demosntratedUN GHS cat 1 A/B known or presumed human carcinogen, animal carcinogen
Repeated dose toxicityNo effects at the limit dose for repeated dose studies: 1000 mg/kg/d oral and.or dermal, rat, inhal, 6 h/d, 5d/week: 20000 ppm (gas), 20 mg/L vapor; 5 mg/L dust or aerosol or at the saturation or maximum attainable conc.Effects not classifyable under UN GHS, but observed below a limit dose of 1000 mg/kg bw/d for repeated dose exposures via the oral and dermal route, for inhalation 6 h/d 5d/week rat: < 20,000 ppm (gas), < 20 mg/L for vapours, < 5 mg/L dust, aerosol; or below the saturation conc or max attainable conc. for inhalation studies.UN GHS, CLP STOT cat 2. Human experience or animal studies based on 90d exposure severe target organ effects observed at > 10, ≤ 100 mg/kg bw/d oral rat; > 20, ≤ 200 mg/kg/d dermal rat or rabbit; inhalation rat 6 h/d 5d/week: > 50, ≤ 250 ppm (gas) or > 0.2, ≤ 1 mg/L (vapour) or > 0.02, ≤ 0.2 mg/L dust or aerosol. (for 28 d exposure :3)GHS cat 1 CLP STOT cat 1. Specific target organ toxicity. Human evidence or animal studies based on 90d exposure severe target organ effects observed at ≤ 10 mg/kg bw/d oral rat; 20 mg/kg/d dermal rat or rabbit; inhalation rat 6 h/d 5d/week: ≤ 50 ppm (gas) or ≤ 0.2 mg/L (vapour) or ≤ 0.02 mg/L dust or aerosol. (for 28 d exposure :3)
Toxicity to reproduction fertilityNo effects in adequate studies.Not classified, but some specific effects at NOAEL > 300 ≤ 1000 mg/kg bwUN GHS cat. 2 . NOAEL > 1 ≤ 100 mg/kg bw/d (ICCA)UN GHS category 1 A/B for fertility. Human evidence or animal studies. NOAEL ≤ 1 mg/kg bw/d (ICCA)
Toxicity to reproduction developmental and lactationNo effects in adequate studies.Not classified, but some specific effects at NOAEL > 300 ≤ 1000 mg/kg bwUN GHS cat. 2 . NOAEL > 1 ≤ 100 mg/kg bw/d (ICCA)UN GHS category 1 A/B for fertility. Human evidence or animal studies. NOAEL ≤ 1 mg/kg bw/d (ICCA)
Acute ecotoxiicty (aquatic)No classification. No acute toxicity at or above 100 mg/L or at solubility limitUN GHS Cat 3. EC50, daphnia 48 h > 10, ≤ 100 mg/L or EC50, 72 h growth rate algae > 10, ≤ 100, or LC50 96 h fish > 10, ≤ 100UN GHS Cat 2. EC50, daphnia 48 h > 1, ≤ 10 mg/L or EC50, 72 h growth rate algae > 1, ≤ 10, or LC50 96 h fish > 1, ≤ 10UN GHS Cat 1. EC50, daphnia 48 h ≤ 1 mg/L or EC50, 72 h growth rate algae ≤ 1 mg/L or LC50 96 h fish ≤ 1 mg/l
Chronic toxicity aquaticNot classified or Cat 4: if poorly soluble and no acute toxicity up to solubility limit and not rapidly biodegradable or BCF ≥ 500, or log Kow ≥ 4 unless chronic NOECs are > 1 mg/LUN GHS Cat 3. EC50, daphnia 48 h > 10, ≤ 100 mg/L or EC50, 72 h growth rate algae > 10, ≤ 100, or LC50 96 h fish > 10, ≤ 100 and not rapidly biodegradable or BCF ≥ 500, or log Kow ≥ 4 unless chronic NOECs are > 1 mg/LUN GHS Cat 2. EC50, daphnia 48 h > 1, ≤ 10 mg/L or EC50, 72 h growth rate algae > 1, ≤ 10, or LC50 96 h fish > 1, ≤ 10 and not rapidly biodegradable or BCF ≥ 500, or log Kow ≥ 4 unless chronic NOECs are > 1 mg/LUN GHS Cat 1. EC50, daphnia 48 h ≤ 1 mg/L or EC50, 72 h growth rate algae ≤ 1 mg/L or LC50 96 h fish ≤ 1 mg/l and not rapidly biodegradable or BCF ≥ 500, or log Kow ≥ 4
Flammability (flah point FP)UN GHS level 4: FP > 60 deg. C, ≤ 93 deg. C or higherUN GHS level 3: FP > 23 deg. C but ≤ 60 deg. CUN GHS level 2FP ≤ 23 deg C and initial boiling point > 35 deg. CUN GHS level 1FP ≤ 23 deg C and initial boiling point ≤ 35 deg. C
ReactivityNo reactivityunstable when heated or under pressure, not reactive with waterUnstable, detonable, reactive with waterReadily detonates or explodes and decomposes under normal temperature and pressure.