A Material Safety Data Sheet is written by the company that creates a chemical or a company that blends different chemicals into a chemical product. The College's electronic binder includes MSDS for pure chemicals from acetone to zinc and for chemical products such as glues, paints, cleaners, and lubricants. Although the intent is the same for all of these MSDS, to comply with the regulations and convey hazard information, there are several reasons why they vary widely in appearance.
MSDS do not have a standard format. Although the Federal government requires MSDS to contain certain information, the producer of the hazardous material may present this information in their own format. The original suggested OHSA format had 10 sections. The new suggested ANSI format has the 15 sections described below.
Some of our MSDS come from manufacturers in other countries. Although these documents still satisfy U.S. requirements, they may be more directed toward the requirements of another government. The Canadian WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) is common as well as hazard information based on EEC (European Economic Community) Directives. A Glossary of MSDS Terms is available at the E&SC web site. The World Health Organization, in cooperation with other international organizations, has begun negotiating a Global Harmonization of chemical classifications and warning systems but this process will take years.
Clerical difficulties account for much of the variation in the College's MSDS file. Some manufactures have made an investment in well written, graphically enhanced, and computer readable MSDS. Many others have not. MSDS from these vendors have been mailed, faxed, copied, scanned and gone through other processes that have reduced their legibility. A related issue that is common on College campuses is that some chemicals were used on campus before the requirements for an MSDS were in place. And then there are chemicals that are not directly purchased such as chemicals that are contained inside a piece of equipment or packaged as an accessory. For these and many other reasons the College's electronic binder contains many MSDS that have been obtained through another party other than the manufacturer. Several universities and the Department of Defense have massive collections of MSDS that have been used by this College as a last resort for obtaining the MSDS for the chemicals we have on our campus.
Only chemicals that are considered hazardous by OSHA are required to have a MSDS. Many manufactures will create a MSDS for a non-hazardous chemical but these are being discouraged. This concept may also be noted in the components section when only some of the ingredients are identified and the remainder just as non-hazardous.
The following are the 15 sections recommended by ANSI (formerly the American National Standard Institute).
Chemical product and Manufacturer Identification: the name that should appear on the chemical's label and a name and address for the manufacturer. Other forms of identification may be noted such as a chemical family, synonyms, formula, or trade name. There might also be a product or catalog number that may be critical in distinguishing between different grades or mixes of the same chemical.
Composition: information on ingredients. Only the hazardous ingredients need to be identified, down to 1% for a hazardous chemical and 0.1% for a chemical considered to cause cancer. Exposure limits are usually listed here.
Physical Data: measurements obtained by standardized tests. Common parameters like color and appearance will help identify the product and bring attention to a chemical that may be decomposing. Boiling point, vapor density, and evaporation rate will indicate how easily the chemical may become and inhalation exposure. Odor then becomes a detection method for this exposure. For specific definitions and advice on each of these parameters, see the MSDS Glossary.
Fire Fighting Measures: what to use to extinguish this chemical should it start to burn and also special hazards when the chemical burns such as the release of toxic smoke. Flash point and flammability limits directly determine the classification for fire hazard. Much of the information here is directed toward First Responders such as the Springfield Fire Department or HAZ MAT team. Having the College's MSDS in a computer database will allow much more effective communication during emergency conditions on campus.
Hazardous Identification and First Aid Measures: the health hazards for this specific chemical and what to do if exposed. There may be numerous medical terms used in this section. These will be defined in the MSDS Glossary. Just as important are the conditional words such as "may cause" vs. "will cause". Also note the route of entry for an exposure. That is, a health affect may be caused if the chemical is inhaled or swallowed (ingested) but not by skin contact, for example. Also note the target organ mentioned, that is, the part of the body that will experience these adverse health affects and that may seem unconnected to the route of entry. For example, alcohols, absorbed through the skin may damage the liver and central nervous system. The symptoms of overexposure mentioned in this section are, along with odor, first warning signs that there is a problem.
Stability and Reactivity: unstable chemicals will form new chemicals out of themselves and atmospheric ingredients in uninitiated reactions. This unintended reaction might generate a health risk such as the release of energy or may lead to the creation of a new chemical with very different potential hazards that the original. Conditions to avoid relate specialized storage conditions that should be used to inhibit unstable chemicals. A shelf life, reaction inhibitor, or hazardous decomposition products may be mentioned.
Accidental Release Measures: Spill clean up materials, techniques, or precautions.
Handling and Storage Measures: types of containers, special storage conditions, and chemical incompatibilities. The most common chemical segregation issues are:
Segregate reactives from flammables and combustibles.
Segregate acids (low pH) from caustics (high pH).
Segregate corrosives (both acids and caustics) from flammables.
Segregate oxidizers from everything.
Exposure Controls/Personal Protection: Recommended engineering controls such as a fume hood as well as the correct eye protection, gloves and other PPE (personal protective equipment. Pay attention to the specific glove material (rubber vs. nitrile, etc) A glove resistance chart can be found in many supply catalogs or from the link: http://www.cdc.gov/od/ohs/manual/pprotect.htm
Toxicological Information: the results of tests on animals or documented case studies for the chemical or for its components. This information is directed at medical or occupational health specialists. Certain thresholds in standardized toxicological tests are used establish warning terms such as "Toxic" vs. "Extremely Toxic". Specific forms of toxicity are also noted here and may include carcinogenicity (ability to cause cancer) teratogen.
Ecological Information: the potential impacts of this chemical once released into the environment. Many chemicals have very different health effects on plants and other animals. Ecotoxicdity data may include information on acute and chronic toxicity to fish and invertebrates, or plants and microorganism toxicity. Characteristics that might be used to a assess a spill of this chemical might be noted such as soil mobility, bioaccumulation, or photolytic stability.
Disposal Considerations: usually just a general reference to disposal according to local, state, or federal regulations. Many chemicals that may be hazardous will become non-hazardous with use. The College is obligated by state regulations (310 CMR 30) to identify, segregate, and properly dispose of any chemicals defined as "hazardous waste". Several "Accumulation Areas" are located on campus and wastes are removed twice a year usually two weeks after the end of the academic semester. Information on hazardous waste is available from the home EC&S web page.
Transport Information: packaging and labeling requirements based on the US DOT (Department of Transportation) shipping tables.
Regulatory Information: notation if this chemical is on a list of chemicals specifically covered by an OSHA or EPA regulation. Even though a chemical may be listed, the regulation may only be in effect at a certain RQ (Reportable Quantity) or TPQ (Threshold Planning Quantity).
Other Information: open to any additional information such as references or MSDS revision dates.