MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS
Workers in modern industrial workplaces are exposed to myriad toxic chemicals.
In an effort to inform employees and persons in the community about the risks
of toxic chemicals in the workplace, OSHA requires that employers make material
safety data sheets (MSDS) available to employees, health care providers, local
fire departments, and other community organizations with an interest in toxic
exposures. (See Lerman and Kipen 1990 for a detailed discussion of MSDS.)[218]
- MSDSs are the starting point for determining if an employee has been
exposed to a toxic substance. Occupational medicine physicians should obtain
appropriate MSDSs from each employer for whom they provide occupational medical
services. MSDSs can also be useful for general medicine physicians who suspect
that a patient is suffering from an occupational exposure.
- Each material safety data sheet shall be in English and shall contain
at least the following information:
- --The identity used on the label, and, except as provided for ... trade
secrets;
--If the hazardous chemical is a single substance, its chemical and
common name(s);
--If the hazardous chemical is a mixture which has been tested as a
whole to determine its hazards, the chemical and common name(s) of the
ingredients which contribute to these known hazards, and the common name(s) of
the mixture itself; or,
--If the hazardous chemical is a mixture which has not been tested as a
whole:
--The chemical and common name(s) of all ingredients which have been
determined to be health hazards, and which comprise 1% or greater of the
composition, except that chemicals identified as carcinogens under paragraph
(d)(4) of this section shall be listed if the concentrations are 0.1% or
greater; and,
--The chemical and common name(s) of all ingredients which have been
determined to be health hazards, and which comprise less than 1% (0.1%) for
carcinogens) of the mixture, if there is evidence that the ingredient(s) could
be released from the mixture in concentrations which would exceed an
established OSHA permissible exposure limit or American Conference of
Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Value, or could
present a health hazard to employees; and,
--The health hazards of the hazardous chemical, including signs and
symptoms of exposure, and any medical conditions which are generally recognized
as being aggravated by exposure to the chemical;
--The primary route(s) of entry;
--Emergency and first aid procedures;
--The name, address and telephone number of the chemical manufacturer,
importer, employer or other responsible party preparing or distributing the
material safety data sheet, who can provide additional information on the
hazardous chemical and appropriate emergency procedures, if necessary.
There are several important limitations that may make the data on MSDS
misleading. Within certain limitations, the manufacturer is not required to
perform toxicity testing on the mixture or its constituents. The MSDS need only
be based on a review of the literature. Even this review is subject to question
because there are no standards to define an adequate search or to resolve
conflicting research reports. It is not unusual to find manufacturers of the
same chemical with different health risks on their MSDS. In addition,
manufacturers sometimes ignore chemicals that they use as vehicles but do not
manufacture themselves. While these are generically described as inert
ingredients, they sometimes include highly toxic aromatic hydrocarbons or
complex organic resins.
If the MSDS does not provide enough information, either because trade secret
information has been left out or because the physician suspects that an
ingredient is toxic, the physician can obtain more detailed information
directly from the manufacturer identified on the MSDS. This may require several
inquiries, however; only the original manufacturer of the substance is
responsible for keeping full information on health hazards. Thus the physician
may need to call the manufacturer of each substance that has been mixed into a
product.
1196(1991).
[218]Lerman SE; Kipen HM: Material safety
data sheets: Caveat emptor. Arch Intern Med 1990; 150:981-84.
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