hand warmer - sodium acetate?

[lindylooo]

i left my hand warmer (gel and metal disc in plastic pack) to boil dry (to melt the crystals) and it subsequently exploded white powder, is it toxic?

[theprof]

I'm assuming that this hand warmer contained no other chemical other than the sodium acetate.

If this is the case, sodium acetate is not toxic. A "food-grade" form of sodium acetate has many uses in the food industry including as the principal flavouring ingredient of salt and vinegar crisps.

Although the hand warmer is very unlikely to contain "food-grade" sodium acetate, even the impure form is unlikely to do you much harm.

Does the powder smell vinegary?