Which statement is true regarding decomposition products compared to the original material?

• A. They may present different hazards than the original material
• B. They never differ in hazard
• C. They are always more hazardous
• D. They are always less hazardous

Answer: (A)

Hazards can change when a material decomposes. When a substance is heated or subjected to energy, it breaks down into new chemicals, and those decomposition products have their own properties. Those products may be toxic, corrosive, flammable, or reactive, even if the original material wasn’t, and the hazard can be more severe, less severe, or simply different in type. This is why you assess what could form during decomposition under the conditions you expect. For example, heating some chlorinated solvents can release toxic gases like hydrogen chloride or phosgene, which are far more hazardous than the liquid itself. Organic peroxides can decompose into energetic, flammable products, changing the hazard profile. So the statement that decomposition products may present different hazards than the original material is the correct one. The other options insist hazards never differ or are always more or always less hazardous, which doesn’t hold because the outcome depends on the specific decomposition products formed.