Known mutagens should not be used by students in our high school lab. Teratogens are chemical and physical agents that interfere with normal embryonic development. Teratogens differ from mutagens in that there must be a developing fetus. Teratogens may produce congenital malformations or death of the fetus without inducing damage to the pregnant woman. Known Teratogens should not be used by students in our high school lab.
Corrosive chemicals can burn, irritate, or destructively attack living tissue.
When inhaled or ingested, lung and stomach tissue are affected. Because corrosive solids dissolve rapidly in moisture on the skin and in the respiratory system, the effects of corrosive solids depend largely on the duration of contact. Oxidizers spontaneously evolve oxygen at room or slightly elevated temperatures, and can explode violently when shocked or heated. Because they possess varying degrees of chemical instability, oxidizing agents are explosively unpredictable and, therefore, represent a particularly hazardous safety threat. Explosive materials are chemicals that cause a sudden, almost instantaneous release of large or small amounts of pressure, gas, and heat when subjected to sudden shock, pressure, or high temperature.