UN 1692 — Strychnine salts
Placard: Toxic. ERG Guide 151. Training/quick-reference only — use current ERG + SOP/SOG for incident-specific actions.
UN 1692 covers strychnine salts — including strychnine sulfate and strychnine nitrate — white crystalline solids classified as Class 6 poisons under ERG Guide 151. These compounds are among the most potent toxic solids encountered in hazmat response, capable of causing fatality through skin absorption, inhalation, or ingestion even in minute quantities.
Hazard overview: Strychnine salts are highly toxic with no safe level of dermal contact; absorption through intact skin can deliver a lethal dose without any visible injury. When involved in fire, thermal decomposition produces toxic nitrogen oxides and other hazardous combustion gases that expand the danger zone well beyond the spill perimeter.
Response guidance: For any release of UN 1692, isolate the spill area a minimum of 25 meters in all directions, expanding to 50 meters for large spills, and evacuate the immediate area if fire is present. Water dissolution of strychnine salts does not neutralize the compound and increases the risk of environmental contamination and secondary exposure through runoff.
UN 1692 Quick Details
Common Hazards of UN 1692
- Highly toxic, may be fatal if inhaled, ingested or absorbed through skin.
- Avoid any skin contact.
- Fire may produce irritating, corrosive and/or toxic gases.
- Runoff from fire control or dilution water may be corrosive and/or toxic and cause environmental
- Non-combustible, substance itself does not burn but may decompose upon heating to produce corrosive
- Containers may explode when heated.
- Runoff may pollute waterways.
Chemical Identity & Physical Properties
Strychnine salts appear as white to off-white odorless or nearly odorless crystalline powder or solid with a characteristically sharp, extremely bitter taste detectable in trace amounts.
| Also known as | Strychnine sulfateStrychnine nitrateStrychnine hydrochlorideStrychnos alkaloid salts |
| Appearance | White to off-white crystalline powder or solid with extremely bitter taste. Odorless or slight odor. |
| Flash Point | Not applicable (non-flammable solid) |
| Boiling Point | Not applicable (decomposes before boiling) |
| Vapor Density | Not applicable (solid, negligible vapor pressure) |
| Water Reactivity | Soluble in water with no significant reaction, but dissolution increases toxicity hazard |
Fireground Response Guidance — UN 1692
Extinguishing Media
PPE Requirements
Responders must wear Level A or B chemical protective suits with SCBA; any skin exposure is unacceptable given the extreme dermal toxicity of strychnine salts.
Isolation & Evacuation
First Actions for a UN 1692 Incident
- Keep unauthorized personnel away.
- Stay upwind, uphill and/or upstream.
- Isolate spill or leak area in all directions for at least 50 meters (150 feet) for liquids and at least 25 meters
- For highlighted materials: see Table 1 - Initial Isolation and Protective Action Distances.
- For non-highlighted materials: increase the immediate precautionary measure distance, in the downwind
📋 Copy & Share Field Card
UN 1692 — Strychnine saltsUse for: Quick radio or face-to-face size-up. Short, structured, field-ready.
Use for: Incident command briefing, staging area whiteboard, or pre-entry team brief.
Use for: Quick text to command or incoming units. Fits in a single SMS.