Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

OCTYLPHENOL ETHOXYLATES

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Alcohol ethoxylates (AE) are used in many types of consumer and industrial products like,
e.g., laundry detergents, all- purpose cleaning agents, dishwashing agents, emulsifiers,
and wetting agents. Alcohol alkoxylates (AA) are used as weakly foaming and foam-
mitigating surfactants in household cleaning agents, dishwashing agents and cleaning
agents designed for the food industry. Other applications of AA include textile
lubricants, agricultural chemicals, and rinse aid formulations Alcohol ethoxylates (AE)
are nonionic surfactants composed of a hydrophobic alkyl chain (fatty alcohol) which is
combined with a number of ethoxylate, or ethylene oxide, units via an ether linkage.
Alcohol alkoxylates (AA) normally contain both ethylene oxide (EO) and propylene oxide
(PO) in their hydrophilic moiety, whereas butylene oxide (BO) is less frequently used. The
abbreviation AA has been used to designate nonionic surfactants with a hydrophilic part
containing PO (or BO), frequently in combination with EO. A non- ionic water- soluble
octylphenol ethoxylate surfactant.

SYNONYMS

(C2-H4-O)n.C14-H22-O, "octylphenol EO (10)", "nonionic surfactant",
"octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol nonionic surfactant", "octyl phenol decaethylene glycol
ether", "poly (oxy-1, 2-ethanediyl), ", "poly (oxy-1, 2-ethanediyl), ", "alpha-[(1, 1, 3,
3-tetramethylbutyl)phenyl]-omega-hydroxy-", "octyl phenol condensed with 8-10 moles of
ethylene oxide", "octyl phenol condensed with 8-10 moles of ethylene oxide", "octyl
phenol ethoxylates", "non ionic surfactant", detergents, cleaners

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

Harmful if swallowed.
Irritating to eyes.
Repeated exposure may cause skin dryness and cracking.
Very toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long- term adverse effects in the
aquatic environment.

POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS

ACUTE HEALTH EFFECTS

SWALLOWED

  Accidental ingestion of the material may be harmful; animal experiments indicate that ingestion of less than 150 gram may be fatal or may produce serious damage to the health of the individual.  Nonionic surfactants may produce localized irritation of the oral or gastrointestinal lining and induce vomiting and mild diarrhea.  

EYE

  There is evidence that material may produce eye irritation in some persons and produce eye damage 24 hours or more after instillation. Severe inflammation may be expected with pain. There may be damage to the cornea. Unless treatment is prompt and adequate there may be permanent loss of vision. Conjunctivitis can occur following repeated exposure.  Non-ionic surfactants can cause numbing of the cornea, which masks discomfort normally caused by other agents and leads to corneal injury. Irritation varies depending on the duration of contact, the nature and concentration of the surfactant.  

SKIN

  Skin contact is not thought to produce harmful health effects (as classified using animal models). Systemic harm, however, has been identified following exposure of animals by at least one other route and the material may still produce health damage following entry through wounds, lesions or abrasions. Good hygiene practice requires that exposure be kept to a minimum and that suitable gloves be used in an occupational setting.  Repeated exposure may cause skin cracking, flaking or drying following normal handling and use.  Open cuts, abraded or irritated skin should not be exposed to this material.  Entry into the blood-stream, through, for example, cuts, abrasions or lesions, may produce systemic injury with harmful effects. Examine the skin prior to the use of the material and ensure that any external damage is suitably protected.  

INHALED

  The material is not thought to produce either adverse health effects or irritation of the respiratory tract following inhalation (as classified using animal models). Nevertheless, adverse effects have been produced following exposure of animals by at least one other route and good hygiene practice requires that exposure be kept to a minimum and that suitable control measures be used in an occupational setting.  Not normally a hazard due to non-volatile nature of product.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  Prolonged or repeated skin contact may cause drying with cracking,irritation and possible dermatitis following.  Limited evidence suggests that repeated or long-term occupational exposure may produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems.  Exposure to the material may cause concerns for human fertility, on the basis that similar materials provide some evidence of impaired fertility in the absence of toxic effects, or evidence of impaired fertility occurring at around the same dose levels as other toxic effects, but which are not a secondary non-specific consequence of other toxic effects..  Exposure to alkyl phenolics  is associated with reduced sperm count andfertility in males.