Material Safety Data Sheets: MSDS - What You Need To Know About Them

Material Safety Data Sheets
MSDS – what you need to know

about them
Preparation:
 Before you go any further, it would be
helpful to download:
◦ Data sheet (click here) – to view the data
sheet you will need to be in slide show, press
F5
◦ This product, used as an example, is a
commercial cleaning product containing some
hazardous chemicals
What do MSDSs contain?
 Identification of the product
 Teepol Aluminium Cleaner

◦ - sales unit and stock code
◦ - address and contact details for the supplier
 Composition/ information on ingredients. (Exact

formulations & details of non-hazardous components not required
– protects from rival manufacturers)
 CAS & EINECS are identifications codes
 Risk phrases (from CHIP data- see later)
 Alcohol Ethoxylate <1%

 Phosphoric acid 15 – 30%
 Benzotriazole <1%
 Formaldehyde <1%
 Hazards identified (i.e. those known about when
the product is used in the way the manufacturer
intends)
 Irritating to eye and skin

 Large amounts could be hazardous to aquatic
environment
 First aid measures
◦ Eyes - irrigate with water 10-15 minutes
◦ Skin – remove gloves and wash
◦ Ingestions – plenty of water to drink
 (This is incorrect - should be small sips!!)
◦ Inhalation- remove to fresh air
 Always check out first aid information with

your Departmental First Aider or Safety
Services
 Fire fighting measures
 The material is non-flammable

 If involved in a fire anyway, it may produce
hydrogen chloride (an acid gas)
 Breathing apparatus is relevant

to the Fire Service – not us!
 Measures for spillage or accidental release
 Spillage
◦ contain with sand or earth
◦ Beware of slipping hazard
◦ Do not allow to go down the drains (report
any significant leakage down the drains to the water authorities – take
advice)
 You will need to ensure that your

department stocks appropriate materials to
deal with these incidents.
 Handling and storage
 Store away from food

 Tightly closed containers
 Away from children
 At temperatures between 5oC & 30oC
 Shelf life 1 year
 In this case, largely “common sense”

information but for some products it could
be more critical
 Exposure controls &/or personal protective
equipment (PPE)
◦ These are standard safety signs denoting the need to

wear gloves, face shield and protective clothing.
◦ NB It does not tell you what sort of gloves are

appropriate. You would need to find this out by
consulting a gloves manufacturer regarding the
hazardous materials in the product – see the
“Guidance” section of Safety Services website
 Physical & Chemical Properties
◦ Appearance – what it looks like
◦ pH – acidity/alkalinity of the product – a pH
of <1 denotes significant acidity
◦ Flash point – it is not flammable
◦ Density (>1 means it is more dense than
water)
In terms of hazard, both high pHs (strong alkali) and low
pHs (strong acid) are nasty. For substances with pHs
around 7 acidity & alkalinity are not generally a problem.
 Stability & reactivity
 No stability concerns – it won’t “go off”
 Avoid contact with strong oxidisers, chlorine
& chlorine products – nasty gases possible
 Contact with some alloys may produce
hydrogen – explosion potential because of
low pH! (but not in normal use)
 Toxicological information (what nasty things will it
do to you?)
 Irritating to organic tissue (skin & eyes)

 Inhalation of aerosol may cause irritation
 Ingestion – irritation to mouth & digestive tract (it’s
a strong acid)
 Eye contact – may cause severe irritation (acid again!)
 Skin contact – irritation!
 Connected with first aid information here, but in

some circumstances, may give details of longer term
medical problems, where appropriate
 Ecological information
 How environmentally friendly is it?
◦ Biodegrades – does not remain in soil etc
◦ Don’t release into surface waters
eg detergents can cause unsightly rivers and may
affect waterproofing of water birds
 Disposal considerations
◦ Use suitable PPE (see previous information)
◦ Rinse out containers
◦ Don’t allow to enter drains
◦ Dispose of according to local regulations
◦ Do not mix with other waste
 This is not as formidable as it

sounds – a bit of advice from Safety Services
or Estates will help
 Transport information
◦ None
◦ Where substances need special consideration

for transport, it will be detailed here – usually
only applicable to larger quantities
 Regulatory information
◦ Irritant to eyes and skin
◦ Keep away from children
◦ First aid information
◦ These are “risk phrases” associated with the

CHIP regulations – simple advice phrases
◦ There may also be symbols – as here ,
indicating “irritant”.
Risk phrases - examples
 R1: Explosive when dry  R20: Harmful by inhalation
 R2: Risk of explosion by shock, friction, fire or  R21: Harmful in contact with skin
other sources of ignition  R22: Harmful if swallowed
 R3: Extreme risk of explosion by shock,  R23: Toxic by inhalation
friction, fire or other sources of ignition  R24: Toxic in contact with skin
 R4: Forms very sensitive explosive metallic  R25: Toxic if swallowed
compounds
 R26: Very toxic by inhalation
 R5: Heating may cause an explosion
 R27: Very toxic in contact with skin
 R6: Explosive with or without contact with air
 R28: Very toxic if swallowed
 R7: May cause fire
 R29: Contact with water liberates toxic gas.
 R8: Contact with combustible material may
cause fire  R30: Can become highly flammable in use
 R9: Explosive when mixed with combustible  R31: Contact with acids liberates toxic gas
material  R32: Contact with acids liberates very toxic
 R10: Flammable gas
 R11: Highly flammable  Up to: -
 R12: Extremely flammable  R66: Repeated exposure may cause skin
dryness or cracking
 R14: Reacts violently with water
 R67: Vapours may cause drowsiness and
 R15: Contact with water liberates extremely dizziness
flammable gases
 R68: Possible risk of irreversible effects
 Other information (variable)
 In this case it tells you its immediate

application and how to use it
REMEMBER
 MSDS’s are NOT Risk Assessments!
 They make no distinction between a gram
and a tonne of a substance.
 When using substances you must carry out a
risk assessment but use the information in
MDSD’s to help you.
 Controls should be proportional to risk!
 Not all MSDS’s contain comprehensive.
information, although they should have!
 If in doubt, always consult an expert.

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Material Safety Data Sheets

MSDS – what you need to know

 Teepol Aluminium Cleaner

 Composition/ information on ingredients. (Exact

 CAS & EINECS are identifications codes

 Risk phrases (from CHIP data- see later)

 Alcohol Ethoxylate <1%

 Irritating to eye and skin

 Always check out first aid information with

 The material is non-flammable

 Breathing apparatus is relevant

 You will need to ensure that your

 Store away from food

 In this case, largely “common sense”

◦ These are standard safety signs denoting the need to

◦ NB It does not tell you what sort of gloves are

 Irritating to organic tissue (skin & eyes)

 Connected with first aid information here, but in

 This is not as formidable as it

◦ Where substances need special consideration

◦ These are “risk phrases” associated with the

 In this case it tells you its immediate

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