MSDS

Material Safety Data Sheet

A document that gives safety, toxicity, exposure, fire and disposal information for employees and businesses of a chemical substance.

OSHA

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

A federal agency for the protection of the United States of America workers that provides standards and guidelines to businesses.

OSHA requires employers provide MSDS to employees.

http://www.flinnsci.com/search_MSDS.asp

MSDSs look mysteriously all alike!OSHA says employers must provide them,BUT doesn't say anything about providing training to understand or time to read MSDSs!

Some specialized employers have very specific training: firefighters, EMS, police and other first responders.

THINGS to NOTE on MSDSs·24 hr Emergency Phone Number·Synonyms·First Aid·Fire Fighting·Exposure Controls (Almost always identical)·Physical Properties - Has info on· chemical formula· melting point or boiling point·Stability·Toxicology· We will key in on this in a moment·Ecology·Disposal Transportation

TOXICOLOGY:

Acute vs. Chronic EffectsAcute means a single exposure, possibly a large dose

Chronic means exposure over a long period of time or many short exposures, even at low dose.

LD50

LD stands for lethal dose. The 50 stands for 50% of specimens killed.

ORL-RAT LD50:Oral ingested, fed to

ratsthe amount in

milligramsper each kilogram of

the rat that killed 50% of

them