---
title: "Environment (GHS09) — what it means"
description: "Hazardous to the aquatic environment — toxic to fish and other water life. What the symbol looks like, what happens if you ignore it, and where its meaning differs b"
url: https://atoneplace.net/symbol/hazard-ghs-environment/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Environment (GHS09)

**Environment (GHS09): Hazardous to the aquatic environment — toxic to fish and other water life.**

## What it looks like

A dead fish floating beside a leafless tree, black on white in a red diamond.

## What it means

This is the one pictogram whose use varies by country: it is mandatory in the EU under CLP, while the US OSHA hazard communication standard does not adopt the environmental hazard class, so the same product can carry the mark in Europe and not in the United States. It appears on solvent-based paints, some pesticides, antifouling and certain detergents. The practical instruction is disposal: do not pour it down a drain or a storm gutter, because sewage treatment does not remove most of these substances.

> Defined by UN GHS / EU CLP (not adopted by OSHA HazCom in the US). Where a symbol differs between standards, the difference is described above rather than resolved — both versions are in circulation on real labels.

## Other hazard warnings symbols

| Symbol | Means |
| --- | --- |
| Exploding bomb (GHS01) | Explosive, self-reactive, or an organic peroxide that can explode. |
| Flame (GHS02) | Flammable — or a substance that heats up, ignites in air, or gives off flammable gas when wet. |
| Flame over circle (GHS03) | Oxidising — it will feed a fire, including one that has nothing else to burn with. |
| Gas cylinder (GHS04) | Gas under pressure — compressed, liquefied, refrigerated or dissolved. |
| Corrosion (GHS05) | Causes severe skin burns and eye damage, or corrodes metal. |
| Skull and crossbones (GHS06) | Acute toxicity — fatal or toxic in small amounts by swallowing, skin contact or inhalation. |
| Exclamation mark (GHS07) | Irritant, skin sensitiser, harmful if swallowed or inhaled, or may cause drowsiness — the lower-severity hazards. |
| Health hazard (GHS08) | Serious long-term health effects — cancer, genetic damage, harm to fertility or the unborn child, organ damage, asthma from inhalation, or fatal if swallowed and it enters the airways. |
| Orange explosive (E) | Explosive, under the old European system. |
| Orange oxidising (O) | Oxidising agent, under the old European system. |
| Orange flammable (F, F+) | Highly flammable (F) or extremely flammable (F+), under the old European system. |
| Orange toxic (T, T+) | Toxic (T) or very toxic (T+), under the old European system. |
| Orange harmful or irritant (Xn, Xi) | Harmful (Xn) or irritant (Xi), under the old European system. |
| Orange corrosive (C) | Corrosive, under the old European system. |
| Orange dangerous for the environment (N) | Dangerous for the environment, under the old European system. |
| NFPA 704 fire diamond | A US placard telling emergency responders how a stored chemical behaves in a fire. |
| Biohazard | Biological material that can cause disease — blood, cultures, clinical waste. |
| Radiation trefoil | Ionising radiation — a radioactive source or a device producing radiation. |
| Laser radiation | Laser radiation — do not look into the beam. |

## Common questions

### What does the environment (ghs09) symbol mean?

Hazardous to the aquatic environment — toxic to fish and other water life.

### What does it look like?

A dead fish floating beside a leafless tree, black on white in a red diamond.

## Related pages

- [Skull and crossbones (GHS06)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/hazard-ghs-toxic/)
- [Orange dangerous for the environment (N)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/hazard-eu-orange-environment/)
- [Exploding bomb (GHS01)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/hazard-ghs-explosive/)
- [Flame (GHS02)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/hazard-ghs-flammable/)
- [Flame over circle (GHS03)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/hazard-ghs-oxidising/)
- [Gas cylinder (GHS04)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/hazard-ghs-gas-cylinder/)
- [Corrosion (GHS05)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/hazard-ghs-corrosive/)
- [Skull and crossbones (GHS06)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/hazard-ghs-toxic/)
- [Exclamation mark (GHS07)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/hazard-ghs-irritant/)
- [Health hazard (GHS08)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/hazard-ghs-health/)
- [Orange explosive (E)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/hazard-eu-orange-explosive/)
- [Orange oxidising (O)](https://atoneplace.net/symbol/hazard-eu-orange-oxidising/)

## Sources

- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)