Material Safety Data Sheet
Urea Liquor
Terra Industries Inc.
Terra Centre 鈥? 600 Fourth Street
Sioux City, Iowa 51101
MSDS Number 2046 (Revised August 24, 2007) 6 Pages
1. CHEMICAL PRODUCT and EMERGENCY TELEPHONE CONTACT
Product Name:............................................ Urea Liquor
Chemical Family: ....................................... Amide
Synonyms:.................................................. Urea Solution; Urea Cattle Feed; Nitrogen
Solution for SCR NOx Control Systems
Formula: ..................................................... CH4N2O + H2O
Product Use: ............................................... Fertilizer; Animal Feed; SCR NOx Control
EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBER
CHEMTREC (U.S.): .................................. 800-424-9300
CANUTEC (Canada): ................................ 613-996-6666
2. COMPOSITION/INFORMATION ON INGREDIENTS
Component Name Percentage by Weight CAS Number
Urea 30 - 85% 57-13-6
Free Ammonia 0.1 - 1.0% 7664-41-7
Biuret 0.1 - 0.5% 108-19-0
Ammonium Carbamate 0.1 - 0.5% 1111-78-0
Water 13 - 69.7% 7732-18-5
Exposure Limits
Component TWA STEL PEL IDLH
Ammonia 25 ppm 35 ppm 50 ppm 300 ppm
No limits established for urea liquor, biuret, or ammonium carbamate
3. HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION
EMERGENCY OVERVIEW
Colorless liquid. With slight ammonia (pungent) odor. Reacts with sodium hypochlorite or
calcium hypochlorite to form the explosive nitrogen trichloride. When heated, urea
releases ammonia and when heated to decomposition it emits toxic fumes of nitrogen
oxides (NOx), ammonia, and cyanuric acid. Use water to control fires involving urea liquor
if water is compatible with burning material. Urea liquor itself is non-flammable.
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POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS
Primary Routes of Entry: Skin contact/absorption, eye contact, and vapor inhalation.
General Acute Exposure: May cause irritation to eyes and skin. Ammonia and carbon
dioxide vapors may accumulate in a confined space.
General Chronic Exposure: No test data available.
Carcinogenicity:
NTP: ........................................................... Not Listed
IARC: ......................................................... Not Listed
OSHA:........................................................ Not Regulated
Medical Conditions Aggravated by Exposure: No test data available.
4. FIRST AID MEASURES
First Aid for Eyes: Flush eyes with copious amounts of tepid water for at least 15
minutes. If irritation, pain, swelling, excessive tearing, or light sensitivity persists, the
patient should be seen in a health care facility.
First Aid for Skin: If irritation occurs, flush exposed area with copious amounts of tepid
water for at least 15 minutes followed by washing area thoroughly with soap and water.
The patient should be seen in a health care facility if irritation or pain persists.
First Aid for Inhalation: If irritation develops move patient to fresh air and monitor. If
cough or difficulty in breathing develops, evaluate for respiratory tract irritation. If trained
to do so, administer supplemental oxygen if needed. If irritation, coughing, or difficulty in
breathing persists the patient should be seen in a health care facility.
First Aid for Ingestion: If conscious, give the patient large quantities of water to drink
and induce vomiting. Seek medical attention.
5. FIRE FIGHTING MEASURES
Urea liquor is not flammable.
Extinguishing Media: Use water to extinguish a fire involving urea liquor if water is
compatible with the burning material.
Special Fire Fighting Procedures:
a. Positive pressure self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) should be used when
there is a potential for inhalation of vapors and/or fumes.
b. Wear full fire fighting protective equipment that is appropriate for conditions.
Caution:
a. Runoff from fire control or dilution water may cause pollution.
b. At elevated temperature, urea liquor may decompose to form cyanuric acid,
ammonia, biuret, and/or nitrogen oxides.
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6. ACCIDENTAL RELEASE MEASURES
Spill or Leak Measures: Keep unnecessary people away and isolate hazard area. Urea
liquor may be toxic to cattle (ruminants) when ingested if amount ingested is not
controlled properly.
Determining Spill Size: Generally, a small spill is one that involves a single, small
package (i.e. up to a 55 gallon drum), small cylinder, or a small (non-continuing) leak from
a large container.
Small or Large Spill:
a. Spilled urea liquor may cause slippery conditions.
b. Recover and use as fertilizer.
c. If disposal of product or contaminated by-products is necessary, follow guidelines
set forth by local, state, and federal environmental agencies.
d. Runoff may cause pollution.
7. HANDLING AND STORAGE
No unusual storage precautions are necessary.
Handling Precautions: Use proper personal protective equipment when working with or
around urea liquor. (See section 8).
8. EXPOSURE CONTROLS, PERSONAL PROTECTION
Respiratory Protection Requirements: Urea liquor may pose an inhalation hazard in
confined areas due to its ability to produce ammonia and carbon dioxide vapors. If
necessary to enter an area that contains urea liquor, monitor for ammonia and oxygen
content. Oxygen levels should be maintained between 19.5% and 23.5%, if outside of this
range use appropriate precautions. If ammonia vapors are present, protect as follows:
<25 ppm: No protection required.
25 to 35 ppm: Protection required if the daily TWA is exceeded.
35 to 50 ppm: Protection required if exposed for more than 15 minutes
50 to 250 ppm: Minimum of an air-purifying respirator equipped with
ammonia canister(s) or cartridge(s).
250 to 300 ppm: Minimum of a full-face air-purifying respirator equipped
with ammonia canister(s) or cartridge(s).
>300 ppm: A fresh air supply system must be used (i.e. positive
pressure self contained breathing apparatus)
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Engineering Controls: Adequate ventilation should be supplied.
Skin Protection Requirements: Impervious gloves should be worn. Urea liquor is
shipped as a hot liquid (approximately 220o F). Additional protection for hands and skin
should be used to prevent contact of hot liquid.
Eye Protection Requirements: It is recommended that safety glasses or goggles be used
and if there is a potential for splashing liquid, a face shield should be used in conjunction
with the safety glasses or goggles.
Other Protective Equipment: Safety shower and eyewash fountain or at least 5 gallons of
accessible clean water should be provided in a urea liquid handling area.
9. PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
Physical Form: ........................................... Liquid
Color: ......................................................... Colorless
Odor: .......................................................... Slight ammonia odor (pungent)
Boiling Point: ............................................. 50% urea solution boils at 223o F (106o C)
Melting point:............................................. 50% urea solution salts out at 64o F (18o C)
70% urea solution salts out at 135o F (57o C)
PH range:.................................................... 7.0 to 10.0 (depending upon free ammonia)
Solubility:................................................... 100%
Specific Gravity: ........................................ 1.14 for 50% urea solution
1.175 for 70% urea solution
Vapor Density: ........................................... No test results
Vapor Pressure: .......................................... No test results
% Volatile by Volume: .............................. No test results
Molecular Weight: ..................................... Not applicable
Density: ...................................................... 9.51 lb. per gallon for 50 % solution
9.80 lb. per gallon for 70 % solution
Critical Temperature: ................................. No test results
Critical Pressure: ........................................ No test results
10. REACTIVITY
Stability: ..................................................... This is a stable material.
Hazardous Polymerization: ........................ Will not occur.
Decomposition: Urea liquor forms ammonia, cyanuric acid, biuret, and/or nitrogen oxides
(NOx) upon decomposition.
Incompatibilities: Reacts with sodium hypochlorite or calcium hypochlorite to form
nitrogen trichloride that may explode spontaneously in air. Incompatible with sodium
nitrite, phosphorus pentachloride, and nitrosyl or gallium perchlorate. Urea will form urea
nitrate when mixed with nitric acid at low pH. Urea nitrate may become unstable and/or
explosive under certain conditions.
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11. TOXICOLOGICAL INFORMATION
Toxicity
Acute Oral Toxicity
LD50, Rat: ...................................................... 14,300 鈥? 15,000 mg/kg
LD50, Mouse:................................................. 11,500 鈥? 13,000 mg/kg
LD50, Cattle: .................................................. 510 mg/kg
Repeated Dose Toxicity
Rat: ........................................................ NOAEL = 40% in ointment (24 wks; dermal)
Ecotoxicity
Acute Toxicity to Fish
LC50 Barillius barna ............................... 9,100 mg/L (96 hr)
Acute Toxicity to Aquatic Invertebrates
EC50 Daphnia magna.............................. >10,000 mg/L (DIN 38412 Part II; 24 hr)
Toxicity to Aquatic Plants
TT Scenedesmus quadracauda ............ >10,000 mg/L (192 hr cell multiplication
inhibition test)
Note: Data is for Urea
Source: TFI Product Testing Program April 2003
12. ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION
Notify local health and wildlife officials and operators of any nearby water intakes of contamination or
discharge into or leading to waterways.
Note: See Ecotoxicity information in section 11.
13. DISPOSAL CONSIDERATIONS
Urea liquor is not listed by the Federal EPA as a hazardous waste. Consult state/provincial
and local environmental agencies for acceptable disposal methods. Recover product for
use as a fertilizer if possible.
14. TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION
Urea liquor is not listed by any U.S. or Canadian transportation authority as a hazardous
material and as such, no specific information is available.
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15. REGULATORY INFORMATION
SARA TITLE III: Not Listed
CERCLA Hazardous Substances List: Not Listed
TSCA Inventory: Listed
16. OTHER INFORMATION
Nov. 5, 1996: The MSDS was rewritten to comply with ANSI Standard Z400.1-1993.
July 1, 2003: Added toxicity information from the TFI Product Testing Program 2003.
August 4, 2006: Reviewed and reissued without revisions.
October 4, 2006: Revised Reactivity section to add information concerning the hazards of urea nitrate
formation when urea is mixed with nitric acid.
August 24, 2007: Added pH range.
The information and recommendations herein are taken from data contained in independent, industry-
recognized references including but not limited to NIOSH, OSHA, CHRIS, the TFI Product Testing
Program, and SAX鈥檚 Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials - ninth edition. Terra Industries Inc.
makes no guarantee, warranty or other representation concerning this substance, since conditions of its use
are beyond the control of the company. Terra Industries Inc. disclaims any liability for loss or damage
incurred in connection with the use of this substance.
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