Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

HACH IRON REDUCING POWDER PILLOWS

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Used for iron determination.

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

Harmful if swallowed.
Contact with acids liberates toxic gas.
Risk of serious damage to eyes.
Irritating to respiratory system and skin.
May cause long- term adverse effects in the 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.  There is some evidence to suggest that this material can cause, if swallowed once, irreversible damage of organs.  Acute potassium poisoning after swallowing is rare, because vomiting usually occurs and renal excretion is fast. Potassium causes a slow, weak pulse, irregularities in heart rhythm, heart block and an eventual fall in blood pressure. Breathing initially becomes faster but the muscles of breathing eventually become paralyzed. There can be loss of appetite, extreme thirst, increased volumes of urine, fever, convulsions and gastric disturbances; death may then occur due to failure of breathing and inflammation of the stomach and bowel.  

EYE

  If applied to the eyes, this material causes severe eye damage.  

SKIN

  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

  The material can cause respiratory irritation in some persons. The body's response to such irritation can cause further lung damage.  Persons with impaired respiratory function, airway diseases and conditions such as emphysema or chronic bronchitis, may incur further disability if excessive concentrations of particulate are inhaled.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  There has been some concern that this material can cause cancer or mutations but there is not enough data to make an assessment.  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.  There is limited evidence that, skin contact with this product is more likely to cause a sensitization reaction in some persons compared to the general population.  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..  The material may produce peroxisome proliferation. Peroxisomes are single, membrane limited, cytoplasmic organelles that are found in the cells of animals, plants, fungi and protozoa. Peroxisome proliferators include certain hypolipidaemic drugs, phthalate ester plasticisers, industrial solvents, herbicides, food flavours, leukotriene D4 antagonists and hormones. Numerous studies in rats and mice have demonstrated the hepatocarcinogenic effects of peroxisome proliferators, and these compounds have been unequivocally established as carcinogens. However it is generally conceded that compounds inducing proliferation in rats and mice have little, if any, effect on human liver except at very high doses or extreme conditions of exposure.  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.  Prolonged or repeated skin contact may cause drying with cracking,irritation and possible dermatitis following.  Exposure to phthalates over years leads to pain, numbness and spasms in the hands and feet. Many people have developed multiple disorders in the nervous system and the balancing system. Levels of sex hormones are reduced in women, leading to missed ovulations and miscarriages. They also reduce sperm counts and fertility in men. They mimic certain sex hormones and can damage the fetus. Phthalates are found in paints, inks and glues.  Sulfites and bisulfites can cause narrowing of the airways, stomach upset, flushing, low blood pressure. tingling sensation, itchy wheal, swelling and shock, and asthmatics are especially prone. They induce allergic-like reactions which can occur on first contact with the material.