Anything with a pH of 13 is caustic so that makes Blue Gold caustic right?
While OSHA indicates that anything with higher than 12.5pH is caustic it also allows a test to disprove this assumption. Caustics “eat or burn away tissue” and are corrosive. CFR29 section 1910.1200 appendix A defines corrosive as “a chemical that causes visible destruction or irreversible alterations in living tissue by chemical action”. Independent lab tests on rats mice and rabbits for inhalation, ingestion and skin abrasion indicate no “visible destruction or irreversible alterations” to the tissue. Caustics also make the contamination they are removing a part of the solution, unlike Blue Gold which holds contaminates in temporary suspension while the solution is heated and agitated. Upon removal of the agitation, Blue Gold releases the oils and greases (except for those that are water soluble) and allows them to rise to the surface. Here they may be easily removed via skimmers or oil absorbent sheets allowing you to extend the bath life of your Blue Gold solution.
