Provide an example of a Class 8 hazmat and its typical placard color.

• A. Hydrochloric acid (Class 8); black-and-white corrosive placard.
• B. Gasoline (Class 3); red placard.
• C. Chlorine (Class 2); purple placard.
• D. Sodium hydroxide (Class 8); blue placard.

Answer: (A)

Class 8 covers corrosive materials that can burn or destroy living tissue and corrode metals. Hydrochloric acid is a common example of a corrosive chemical, so it fits squarely in Class 8. The warning placard for corrosives is typically black-and-white, showing the pictogram of a hand and a metal being corroded by a liquid, with the number 8. This stark black-and-white design makes corrosives quickly identifiable to responders and others handling the load.

The other options mix up either the hazard class or the placard color. Gasoline is a flammable liquid (Class 3) and would use a red placard. Chlorine is a toxic gas (Class 2, often handled as a toxic gas) and uses a different placard than the corrosive one. Sodium hydroxide is also corrosive, but its placard would be the same black-and-white corrosive style, not blue.