A chemical is any substance made up of chemical elements. This section of OSH Answers will describe the properties as well as health and safety hazards of workplace chemicals - individual chemicals, mixtures like petroleum solvents, synthetic polymers (plastics), and so on. You will also find out how to find information about chemical products (MSDSs - material safety data sheets) and how to understand MSDSs. How to work safely with different kinds of chemicals is covered in the section "Prevention and Control of Hazards".
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