What Is White Liquor? Sodium Hydroxide and Sodium Sulfide Explained

If you live or work near the Nippon Dynawave Packaging mill in Longview, Washington, or have a family member who works there, this page explains — in plain language — what "white liquor" is and what the U.S. agencies that track chemical hazards say about its components.

This is general information compiled from cited public sources. It is not medical advice, and AlertRelief is not a law firm.

White liquor, in one sentence

White liquor is the strongly alkaline solution used in the kraft pulping process to break wood chips down into fiber. Its two active ingredients are sodium hydroxide (NaOH) — commonly called lye or caustic soda — and sodium sulfide (Na₂S), dissolved in water. The tank that imploded at the Longview mill held about 80,000 gallons of this solution and was roughly 60% full at the time, per OPB.

Sodium hydroxide (lye)

According to the NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards:

• Physical description: colorless to white, odorless solid (flakes, beads, or granular).
• Reactivity: noncombustible, but contact with water can generate enough heat to ignite combustible materials nearby.
• Health hazards: "strong corrosive action on contacted tissues." Inhalation of dust or mist can damage the upper respiratory tract and lungs; ingestion causes severe damage to mucous membranes; eye contact produces severe damage.
• OSHA permissible exposure limit (PEL): 2 mg/m³ averaged over an 8-hour shift.
• NIOSH IDLH (immediately dangerous to life or health): 10 mg/m³.

The ATSDR Medical Management Guidelines for Sodium Hydroxide and OSHA's chemical database entry carry the same general profile and outline first-aid measures used by clinicians.

Sodium sulfide

Per the New Jersey Department of Health's Right to Know fact sheet for sodium sulfide, sodium sulfide is a yellow or red flake or granular solid that:

• Is corrosive and can severely irritate or burn the skin, eyes, nose, throat, and lungs.
• Reacts with water, moist air, or acids to release hydrogen sulfide — a toxic gas with a characteristic rotten-egg odor at low concentrations.
• Should be handled with chemical-protective clothing, splash-proof goggles, and respiratory protection appropriate to airborne levels.

In white liquor, sodium sulfide is dissolved in water along with sodium hydroxide; the bulk hazard from a spilled tank is a strongly alkaline liquid that is severely corrosive on contact, with potential for hydrogen sulfide evolution depending on conditions.

What the Longview release looked like

Per OPB, the Washington Department of Ecology said the alkaline solution entered a nearby drainage ditch, a violation of the facility's water-quality permit. An Ecology spills team is evaluating the impact.

If you may have been exposed

• For exposure-specific questions, the U.S. Poison Control line is 1-800-222-1222.
• For emergencies, call 911.
• See our page on white liquor exposure symptoms for what public-health agencies publish about who is most at risk and when to seek care.
• Document what happened: when you were near the site, what you saw or smelled, and any symptoms — see our documentation guide.

For the full incident page, see Longview Nippon Dynawave Chemical Tank Implosion.