Although there is no standard MSDS procedure or structure; all MSDS's
ust contain the same basic information. There are eight main sections
escribed below. It may be useful to look at t
while reading this fact sheet.
0 MAfERtAL MANUFACTURER AND ID CATION
Here you will.find the name, address an gency telephone. .
of the product's manufacturer. The chemical name (or, more commonly,
the trade name) of the product is given. If the product is a mixture of
several chemicals, only its trade name will be listed. Often a Chemical
Abstract Service number will be listed. This number facilitates research
about the product in handbooks. You can also determine When the
MSDS was prepared.
HAZARDOUS INGREbIENTS/IDENTITY INFORMATJON
Lists The product ingredients which have been determined to
hazardous. The percentage, by weight, of each ingredient is listed, using
the chemical or common name. Does your MSDS give the concentration
level at which the material could pose a health hazard? This information
is based on research using test animals in laboratory experiments. One
abbreviation you may see in this section is the Threshold Limit Value
are three types of TLV's:
1 The reeommended
eighted Average (T
ncehtration for a normal 8-hour workday, 40-hour
workweek. If the MSDS lists only TLV, it usually refers to this
xposure Limit (TLV/STEL
exDosure concentration above the TWA f
15-minute exposure periods.
0 Ceiling Exposure Limit (TLV/CI The 'recommended
any time during th
@ PHYSICAL AND C
Describes the physical characteristics uct, such as the
evaporation rate; whether it is solid, liquid or gas at room temperature;
N HAZARD DATA
Describes the circumstances under which the product may ig
explode. What is the flash point, the lowest temperature at whic
material can release. enough flammable vapor to ignite? Wha
recommended extingui ing media? Is s ial protective equi
Tells how the product wil eact under particular environmental
conditions. Will it decompbse er time? Will heat or sunlight cause a
dangerous reaction, producing a toxic or flammabte substance? Also tells
which chemicals are incompatible with the product, and should not came
into contact with it. Refer to this section when choosing safe storage
conditions.
HEALTH HAZARD
(B ~
Provides a combined estimate of the total known hazards of rhe product,
and describes routes of exposure and effects of short and long-term
exposure. Indicates if the' product is listed on the National Toxicology
Program (NTP) Annual Report on Carcinogens, or is a potential -
carcinogen according to the International Agency for Research on C
or by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
8 PRECAUTIONS FOR SAFE HANDLING AND USE
Tells the safest known ways to handle the material. Are there special
procedures for cleaning up spills or leaks? How should you dispose of the
product? Also provides information that might not be listed elsewhere,
such as storage information and cleaning or disposing of contaminated
The following is a tist of terms and abbreviations commonly found on the MSDS or associated wit1
'
hazardous materiats.
presence of some solvents or water, react to release hydrogen. Acids can be used to neutralizc
..
bases.
Acute - Severe, usually critical, often dangerous conditions in which relatively rapid changes occu . .
as a result of exposure to high concentrations of material over a short period of time.
Alkali -'A compound which has the ability to neutralize acid and form a satt. Like bases, alkalis turr
litmus paper Mue.
-
Aqueous a water-based solution.
Ceiling Limit - A concentration that is not to be exceeded.
Carcinogenic - Ca
Caustic - Something which strongly irritates, b s or destroys living tissue.
mbustible Liquid - Any liquid with a flash.point below 10'0掳F.
Zoncentration - The amount of a substance in a given amou ..
air, soil or liquid.
-
b r o s i v e -Any material, liquid, or solid, that causes ruction of, or irreversible alterations
n, human skin tissues at the sire of contact (burn of corrosive caustics are sodi
iydroxide or ammonia solutions.
-
Iermal Used on or ap
ixplosive - Can detonate or explode through exposure to heat, sudden shock, pressure or
ncompatible substances.
:lammable Limits - The lowes and highest concentrations of vapor or gas in the air that will ignite
when exposed to a spark of flame.
rhere are two types: the Lower Flammable Limit (LFL, or LELI and the Upper Flammable Limits
UFL, or UELI. Products with wide flammable limits (such as ethyl ether, 1.9-36) may ignite either
ay from an ignition source, while products with narrqw flammable limits may ignite
ignition source. When considering the exptosion hazards, the LFL is the most
lower the LFL, the less of a substance needed in the air before it can ignite.
qashpoint - The lowest temperature at which a liquid produces enough vapor to form an ignitable
nixture with air.
ncompatible - Materials that could cause dangerous reactions fro direct contact with
Ixidizer - A chemical other than blasting agent or explosive that contains oxygen and.may start or
issist combustion in .other materials. Examples are chromic acid, concentrated nitric acid, and
iotassium permanganate.
'EL - Permissible Exposure Limit - The safe exposure level set by the Occupational Safety and
iealth Administration. (See also, TLV)
iH - A symbol used to quantify the level Qf acidity or alkalinity. Strong acids have a pH near 1,
trong bases near 13.A pH level of 7 indicates neutraiity.
leactivity - The ability of a material to undergo chemical reaction with the release of energy or heat.
d either as a percentage or by one of the folio
less than 0.1 %
appreciable .= more than 10
0
I
tndustriaf Hygienists ances and represent an
e concentration for
ure limit (TLV/STEl) T ommended exposure concentration
any time during the work period.
b animals that breathed it, LC50 is
for bases and
.
ate in low area3 where they may pose
Liquids with higher vapor pressures require better ventilation. A liquid is considered volatile when its
Produced and distributed by Todd MacFadden, Pollution Preventioh Technician, & Michael
9.Voget, Ed.D., SW/P2 Program Director, with funding from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Montana State University is an equ portunity/affirmative action
institution. ..
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SEPTEMBER, 1994
..
0 CONTROLMEASURES
.
Describes personal protective equipment, work practices, and ventilation
procedures to use when working with the product. Are special glQves or
respiratory protection recommended? Is protective eyewear suggested?
is not always the best source of information for determining
product in hazardous. Sametimes a material may not be
iescribed as hazardous in the MSDS;but is in fact regulated by state or
ederal law. It may be a characteristic waste or a listed waste. You
;hould become familiar with the following concepts.
$a CHARACTERISTIC WASTES
-
Ignitable waste (D001) A liquid waste with a flash point less
.9
t e which is capable, under
than 140掳F; or, a non-liquid
standard temperature and pr re 'of causing fire through
frjction, absorption of moisture, or spontaneous chemical
changes and, when ignited, burns vigorously, There are also
oxidizing wastes which add oxygen to a fire. Oxidizing
substances often have per at the beginning of the name, oxide at
the end of its name, or ate in its chemical name.
-
Corrosive waste (D002) A water-based waste having a pH of
less than or equal to 2.0 (str-ong acids) or greater than or equal
to 12.5 (strong bases); also, any liquid able to corrode 1/4 inch
of steel per year.
Reactive waste - (D003) An unstable. or explosive waste which
0
reacts violently in the presence.of water and sulfide, or cyanide
bearing wastes which, when exposed to. pH conditions between
2.9 and 12.5, liberate toxic vapors.
Toxicity Characteristic waste - (D004-DO43) A waste which
0
. releases toxic metals, pesticides or volatile organic chemicals
under acidic conditions.
LtSTED WASTE pecific materials regulated under federal
k
egulations.
0 F-List - Hazardous wastes from non-specific sources such as:
-Fool: spent halogenated solvents used in degreasing such as
trichloroethylene, methylene chloride, 1,? ,-trichloroethane and
l
carbon tetrachloride:
-F002: spent halogenated solvents such as those above; but not
used as degreasers; other examples are l,l,l-trichloro-l,2,2-
trifluoroethane and chlorobenzene;
-FOO3: spent nonhalogenated, ignitable-only solvents such as
xylene, acetme, methanol, and methyl isobutyl ketone;
-F004: spent halogenated solvents such as cresols, cesylic acid
and nitrobenzene;
-F005:. spent nonhalogenated solvents such as toluene, methyl
ethyl ketone (MEK), carbon disulfide and benzene;
-Spent solvent mixture/blends containing 10% before use of
Fool , F002, F004 and/or
It is important that you .
-Distillation bottoms from
and your employees
0 K-List - Hazardous waste from specific sources such as certain
take hazardous materials. plating bath solutions; wastewater treatment sludge, and wastes
very seriously. You rom the
should always be heat treatment of metals.
-
0 P- and U-Lists Discarded commercial chemical products, off-
looking for ways to
,. specification products, containers and/or spill residues. .
eliminate hazardous
Helping Your Business and the Environment, December, 1993,
LOURCES:
materials from your
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Cooperative Extension @ Biological
processes altogether. Systems Engineering.
Requirements of Hazardous Waste Generators, April, 1992, Minnesota
.
Pollution Control Agency, Hazardous Waste Division, St. Paul, MN.
Produced and distributed by Todd MacFadden, Pollution Prevention Technician, & Michael
P. Vogel, Ed.D., SWlPP Program Director, with funding from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. Montana State University is an equal opponunltylaffirmative action
institution.
~ ~ $ ? & w .c ~
SEPTEMBER, 1994 I".
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