Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

JOHNSON MATTHEY TENACITY NO.20 FLUX POWDER

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Used according to manufacturer' s directions. Brazing flux.

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

May impair fertility.
May cause harm to the unborn child.
Harmful by inhalation and if swallowed.
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.  Borate poisoning causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and pain in the upper abdomen. Often persistent vomiting occurs, and there may be blood in the feces. There may also be weakness, lethargy, headache, restlessness, tremors and convulsions. All borates cause similar effects; the lethal dose is over 30 grams. Poisoning initially stimulates the central nervous system before causing depression, as well as disturbing the digestive system, causing skin eruptions, and damage to the liver and kidneys. Borate is mostly eliminated from the body via the kidneys.  The substance and/or its metabolites may bind to hemoglobin inhibiting normal uptake of oxygen. This condition, known as "methemoglobinemia", is a form of oxygen starvation (anoxia).  Symptoms include cyanosis (a bluish discoloration skin and mucous membranes) and breathing difficulties. Symptoms may not be evident until several hours after exposure.  At about 15% concentration of blood methemoglobin there is observable cyanosis of the lips, nose and earlobes. Symptoms may be absent although euphoria, flushed face and headache are commonly experienced. At 25-40%, cyanosis is marked but little disability occurs other than that produced on physical exertion. At 40-60%, symptoms include weakness, dizziness, lightheadedness, increasingly severe headache, ataxia, rapid shallow respiration, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, confusion, lethargy and stupor. Above 60% symptoms include dyspnea, respiratory depression, tachycardia or bradycardia, and convulsions. Levels exceeding 70% may be fatal.  Ingestion or percutaneous absorption of boric acid causes nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and violent vomiting, sometimes bloody, which may be accompanied by headache and weakness, and characteristic erythematous (abnormally red) lesions on the skin. In severe cases, shock with fall in arterial pressure, tachycardia (increase in heart rate) and cyanosis (blue skin colour) may occur. Marked central nervous system irritation, oliguria (small volume of urine), and anuria (absence of or defective excretion of urine) may be present.  

EYE

  This material can cause eye irritation and damage in some persons.  

SKIN

  This material can cause inflammation of the skin oncontact in some persons.  The material may accentuate any pre-existing dermatitis condition.  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.  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.  Inhalation of small amounts of dust or fume over long periods may causepoisoning.  The material can cause respiratory irritation in some persons. The body's response to such irritation can cause further lung damage.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  Ample evidence exists from experimentation that reduced human fertility is directly caused by exposure to the material.  Ample evidence exists, from results in experimentation, that developmental disorders are directly caused by human exposure to the material.  Limited evidence suggests that repeated or long-term occupational exposure may produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems.  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.  Borate can accumulate in the testes and deplete germ cells and cause withering of the testicles, according to animal testing. Hair loss, skin inflammation, stomach ulcer and anemia can all occur. Repeated swallowing or inhalation irritates the stomach, causes a loss of appetite, disturbed digestion, nausea and vomiting, red rash, dry skin and mucous membranes, reddening of the tongue, cracking of the lips, inflamed conjunctiva, swelling of the eyelids and kidney injury. Prolonged ingestion causes effects to the reproductive system in both males and females.  Chronic boric acid poisoning is characterized by mild gastrointestinal irritation, loss of appetite, disturbed digestion, nausea, possibly vomiting and a hard blotchy rash. Dryness of skin, reddening of tongue, loss of hair, conjunctivitis, and kidney injury have also been reported.  [Occupational Diseases].