Hazard Statements (H-Statments) are part of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). Hazard statements provide standardized wording to indicate the hazards of a product including, when appropriate, the degree of the hazard. The GHS also has Precaution Statements which provide standardized precaution wordings. You will usually find both P- and H-statements on a label or MSDS. In the European Union, H-statements will replace Risk phrases (R-phrases), as the GHS is phased in per Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (6.6 MB PDF file). Conversions of R-phrases to H-statements are listed beginning on page 1352 of that document. Additional Info: Hazard statements are assigned a unique numerical code which can be used as a handy reference when translating labels and MSDS's written in other languages. The codes are not a substitute for writing out the entire text of the statement. The codes have the form Hnxx where H stands for "hazard statement"; n=2 forphysical hazards, n=3 for health hazards, and n=4 for environmental hazards; and xx is a sequential numbering scheme. Thus, an MSDS or label might bear a statement such as "May be corrosive to metals (H290)". H indicates a Hazard, the 2 indicates a physical hazard, and 90 is part of the numbering scheme.