Question

I'm writing a small little tool (something like an interactive periodic table) and I wanted a good guesstimate of the danger of certain elements, to visualize across said table.

I could go and guess by manually looking up the physical / chemical / health / other effects of every element, but that would take an obscene amount of time and effort, not to mention it wouldn't be very accurate / precise.

My question is, is there a standard or list recognized internationally as a good scale of the danger of certain elements?

I know of the NFPA 704 Hazard Classification diamond, and while that would be perfect for my use, it doesn't classify every element, mainly just chemical compounds + a few noteworthy elements.

For example, I could find an NFPA 704 for just about every major compound of arsenic, but not pure arsenic (the element), which would be a pretty obviously dangerous element.

Answer 1

The NFPA 704 Hazard Identification System, commonly known as the hazard diamond, is a standard that could be adapted for use in an interactive periodic table to represent the danger of elements.

Step-by-step explanation:

The standard you're referring to for assessing the danger of elements on the periodic table is the NFPA 704 Hazard Identification System, also known as the hazard diamond or fire diamond.

While this system is primarily used for chemicals, it can also be applied to pure elements. Each of the four diamonds within the NFPA 704 symbol represents a different type of hazard: the red diamond for fire hazard, the blue diamond for health hazard, the yellow diamond for reactivity, and the white diamond for special hazards. Each hazard is rated on a scale of 0 to 4, with 0 being no hazard and 4 indicating a severe hazard.

For your interactive periodic table tool, you could adopt a similar approach to the NFPA system, possibly creating a custom hazard rating for each element based on its most significant properties, such as toxicity, radioactivity, or reactivity. Since the NFPA diamond does not cover all elements explicitly, you might need to conduct a thorough review of the scientific literature to determine accurate hazard ratings for each element.

Understanding the safety associated with handling different elements is essential not just for scientific communication but also for educational purposes. By integrating a visual hazard guide like the NFPA rating into your interactive periodic table, users would gain a better appreciation for the safety considerations of each element.