Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

VERNAGENE PUROGENE

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Disinfectant and precursor solution for chlorine dioxide production.

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

Harmful if swallowed.
Danger of cumulative effects.
Irritating to eyes, respiratory system and skin.

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.  There is some evidence to suggest that this material can cause, if swallowed once, irreversible damage of organs.  

EYE

  There is some evidence to suggest that this material can causeeye irritation and damage in some persons.  This material can cause eye irritation and damage in some persons.  

SKIN

  There is some evidence to suggest that this material can cause inflammation of the skin on contact in some persons.  This material can cause inflammation of the skin oncontact in some persons.  The material may accentuate any pre-existing dermatitis condition.  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

  There is some evidence to suggest that this material, if inhaled, can irritate the throat and lungs of some persons.  The material can cause respiratory irritation in some persons. The body's response to such irritation can cause further lung damage.  Not normally a hazard due to non-volatile nature of product.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  Repeated or long-term occupational exposure is likely to produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems.  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 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.  Repeated or prolonged exposure to corrosives may result in the erosion of teeth, inflammatory and ulcerative changes in the mouth and necrosis (rarely) of the jaw. Bronchial irritation, with cough, and frequent attacks of bronchial pneumonia may ensue. Gastrointestinal disturbances may also occur. Chronic exposures may result in dermatitis and/or conjunctivitis.  Prolonged exposure to chlorites might cause anaemia and kidney or liver damage.  Consumption of chlorite in drinking water caused small changes in thyroid hormone levels [CCINFO]  Sodium chlorite in the drinking water was given to male rats, 20 hours/day for up to 1 year, at  concentrations that resulted in estimated doses of 1 or 10 mg/kg/day. Both dose levels resulted in  increased mean corpuscular (blood cell) haemoglobin concentration (after 7, but not 9 months) and decreased osmotic fragility after 7? months). Erythrocyte glutathione levels were significantly decreased at dose levels 0.1 mg/kg/day by the end of the 1-year exposure period. No consistent treatment-related alterations in erythrocyte count, haematocrit, or haemoglobin levels were observed. In another study sodium chlorite was given to rats by gavage for 13 weeks, resulting in chlorite doses of 7.4, 19, or 60 mg/kg/day. Relative to controls, significant treatment-related haematological effects included decreased haematocrit and haemoglobin levels (high-dose males), increased methaemoglobin and neutrophil levels (mid- and high-dose males), decreased lymphocyte count (mid-dose males), decreased mean erythrocyte count (high-dose males and females), morphological changes in erythrocytes (high-dose males and females), and increased spleen weights (high-dose males and mid- and high-dose females). An unexplained decrease in methaemoglobin was observed in high-dose females.  Slight, but significantly altered sperm morphology and motility were observed in male rats exposed to sodium chlorite in the drinking water for 66?6 days at concentrations that resulted in estimated chlorite doses of 9 and 37 mg/kg/day. No dose-related alterations in fertility rates or reproductive tissues (both gross and histopathological examination) were seen and no adverse effects were observed at a chlorite dose level of 0.9 mg/kg/day. Significantly decreased testicular deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis was noted in male rats given chlorite (as sodium salt) in the drinking water for 3 months at concentrations that  resulted in estimated chlorite doses =1.3 and 0.13 mg/kg/day  Numerous animal studies are available in which developmental end points have been evaluated following  oral exposure to chlorite. Some studies cited effects such as decreases in brain weight, brain cell number, exploratory behavior, locomotor activity, and serum thyroxine levels in rat pups whose mothers were exposed to chlorine dioxide (subsequently converted to chlorite) before mating and during gestation and lactation and other rat pups that were directly exposed via oral gavage only during postnatal development. Effects such as decreases in serum thyroxine levels, body weight and growth, exploratory behavior, and amplitude of auditory startle response were reported in rat pups whose mothers were exposed to chlorite  before mating and during gestation and lactation.  Sodium chlorite induced reverse mutations in S. typhimurium (with activation) and chromosomal  aberrations in Chinese hamster fibroblast cells. Negative results were obtained from in vivo assays for micronuclei and bone marrow chromosomal aberrations in Swiss CD-1 mice, as well as sperm-head abnormalities in B6C3F1 mice, following gavage administration of sodium chlorite at doses ranging from 0.25 to 1 mg/mouse/day for 5 consecutive days.