Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

HACH BUFFER POWDER PILLOWS CITRATE TYPE FOR HEAVY METALS

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Buffer.

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

May cause CANCER.
May cause SENSITIZATION by skin contact.
Harmful by inhalation, in contact with skin and if swallowed.
Irritating to eyes, respiratory system and skin.
Toxic to aquatic organisms.

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.  Hydrazine (and some of its derivatives), is a strong convulsant in laboratory animals and can cause central nervous system (CNS) depression or stimulation. Symptoms of CNS depression may include nonspecific discomfort, giddiness, headache, dizziness, nausea, anaesthetic effects, slowed reaction time, slurred speech and may progress to unconsciousness. Serious poisonings may result in respiratory depression and may be fatal. CNS stimulation may produce dyspnea, coughing, bronchospasm, and laryngospasm. Muscular involvement may produce symptoms ranging from fasciculation to spasticity or seizures. Headache, dizziness and confusion may also result as can hyperpyrexia or a sensation of warmth. Other symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and difficulty in urination. Cardiovascular involvement may produce alterations in blood pressure or arrhythmia.Pulmonary oedema and cardiovascular collapse also seem to be a feature of acute hydrazine poisonings. Animals that survive for more than a day frequently develop liver necrosis and renal failure. As judged by a few severe poisonings,  man reacts like monkey in the sense that liver injury is more severe than kidney failure. Severe hypoglycaemia may develop even earlier than liver necrosis although this is rarely mentioned in the literature.  When administered orally, hydrazine induced pulmonary adenomas and adenocarcinomas in mice. Inhalation induced lung carcinomas and lymphosarcomas of the spleen in female mice. A study of 423 men, involved in the manufacture of hydrazine revealed three stomach, one prostate and a neurogenic cancer.  Ingestion of low-molecular organic acid solutions may produce spontaneous hemorrhaging, production of blood clots, gastrointestinal damage and narrowing of the esophagus and stomach entry.  

EYE

  Solutions of low-molecular weight organic acids cause pain and injuryto the eyes.  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.  

SKIN

  Skin contact with the material may be harmful; systemic effects may resultfollowing absorption.  The material may cause mild but significant inflammation of the skin either following direct contact or after a delay of some time. Repeated exposure can cause contact dermatitis which is characterized by redness, swelling and blistering.  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

  Skin contact with the material is more likely to cause a sensitization reaction in some persons compared to the general population.  There is ample evidence that this material can be regarded as being able to cause cancer in humans based on experiments and other information.  Limited evidence suggests that repeated or long-term occupational exposure may produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems.  There is some evidence that inhaling this product is more likely to cause a sensitization reaction in some persons compared to the general population.  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.  Hydrazine derivatives tend to be local irritants and cause convulsions, liver damage, and destruction of red blood cells. They also damage the kidneys, and cause stimulation of the central nervous system with tremors and convulsions, progressing to depression, respiratory collapse and death.  The material may accumulate in the human body and progressively causetissue damage.