Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

WA CLEARY SPOTRETE 75 WDG

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Used according to manufacturer' s directions.

SYNONYMS

thiram

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

May cause SENSITIZATION by skin contact.
Possible risk of irreversible effects.
Harmful: danger of serious damage to health by prolonged exposure if swallowed.
Harmful by inhalation and if swallowed.
Irritating to eyes, respiratory system and skin.
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.  Lethal doses of some thiocarbamates have produced muscle weakness and ascending paralysis progressing to respiratory paralysis and death in animals. Exposure to small quantities of thiocarbamates and intake of small quantities of ethanol may produce flushing, breathing difficulties, nausea and vomiting and lowered blood pressure. Sensitization to alcohol may last as long as 6-14 days following exposure.  

EYE

  This material may produce eye irritation in some persons and produce eye damage 24 hours or more after instillation. Moderate inflammation may be expected with redness; conjunctivitis may occur with prolonged exposure.  

SKIN

  This material can cause inflammation of the skin oncontact in some persons.  Skin contact with the material may damage the health of the individual; systemic effects may result following absorption.  The material is not thought to be a skin irritant (as classified using animal models). Abrasive damage however, may result from prolonged exposures. Good hygiene practice requires that exposure be kept to a minimum and that suitable gloves be used in an occupational setting.  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

  Inhalation of dusts, generated by the material, during the course of normalhandling, may be harmful.  The material can cause respiratory irritation in some persons. The body's response to such irritation can cause further lung damage.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  Long term exposure to high dust concentrations may cause changes in lung function i.e. pneumoconiosis; caused by particles less than 0.5 micron penetrating and remaining in the lung. Prime symptom is breathlessness; lung shadows show on X-ray.  Limited evidence suggests that repeated or long-term occupational exposure may produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems.  Asthma-like symptoms may continue for months or even years after exposure to the material ceases. This may be due to a non-allergenic condition known as reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS) which can occur following exposure to high levels of highly irritating compound. Key criteria for the diagnosis of RADS include the absence of preceding respiratory disease, in a non-atopic individual, with abrupt onset of persistent asthma-like symptoms within minutes to hours of a documented exposure to the irritant. A reversible airflow pattern, on spirometry, with the presence of moderate to severe bronchial hyperreactivity on methacholine challenge testing and the lack of minimal lymphocytic inflammation, without eosinophilia, have also been included in the criteria for diagnosis of RADS. RADS (or asthma) following an irritating inhalation is an infrequent disorder with rates related to the concentration of and duration of exposure to the irritating substance. Industrial bronchitis, on the other hand, is a disorder that occurs as result of exposure due to high concentrations of irritating substance (often particulate in nature) and is completely reversible after exposure ceases. The disorder is characterised by dyspnea, cough and mucus production.  There has been some concern that this material can cause cancer or mutations but there is not enough data to make an assessment.  There is some evidence that inhaling this product is more likely to cause a sensitization reaction in some persons compared to the general population.  Skin contact with the material is more likely to cause a sensitization reaction in some persons compared to the general population.  There is some evidence that human exposure to the material may result in developmental toxicity. This evidence is based on animal studies where effects have been observed in the absence of marked maternal toxicity, or at around the same dose levels as other toxic effects but which are not secondary non-specific consequences of the other toxic effects.  Some dithiocarbamates may cause birth defects and cancer and may affect male reproductive capacity. They may also cause goiter (overactivity of the thyroid gland) and nerve disorders.