Ordinarily, the safety section should be brief. Editors recognize that all chemical compounds could be abused and can be dangerous under diverse circumstances. Instead, for safety information, the reader's attention should default to the MSDS, which should be a priority entry in all ChemBoxes. Paraphrases from MSDS's or related sources are rarely useful. In cases where the mechanism of toxicity is noteworthy, e.g. the inhibition of myoglobin by carbon monoxide, a separate section within the article is often desirable. In a few cases where the literature and lore on toxity is extensive, such as cyanide, an entire separate article is warranted, e.g. cyanide poisoning. When providing references for the health effects of chemical compounds, Wikipedia:Reliable sources (medicine-related articles) should be consulted as a general guideline.

As indicated by Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not, editors are discouraged from providing advice about poisons or emergencies associated with chemical compounds: "a Wikipedia article should not read like a how-to style manual of instructions, advice (legal, medical, or otherwise) or suggestions."