M10.2 Blog about MSDS and ToxNet

I asked my husband to share his MSDS from work, he's an  Aviation Operations Sergeant for California National Guard ( USA Army). I choose to examine the Glass & Surface Cleaner from the MSDS, no specific brand name was provided for this product.

  • What are the health risks associated with this chemical? This cleaner is listed as hazardous by OSHA/HCS status. The hazardous statements = Causes serious eye irritation and skin irritation.
  • Is the chemical a carcinogen? Per HazMat linked via Toxnet, this chemical is listed as: 
    IARC Carcinogen
    Not Classifiable
    ACGIH Carcinogen
    Confirmed Animal
  • What personal protective equipment or special precautions should be taken when working with this chemical? Wear protective gloves, 1-4 hours (breakthrough time): butyl rubber. Wear eye or face protection. Recommended: safety glasses with shields. Wash hands thoroughly after handling.
  • If this is a chemical found in your workplace, what training/education were you given about any risks associated with this chemical?  My husband states, "No, not really. it is hard to explain but simply put I work in a building with multiple different groups within the California National Guard that don't really communicate with each other and the section that is in charge of the building doesn't really tells us anything when it comes to building safety."

  • Were there any discrepancies regarding the potential health effects noted in the MSDS? In the MSDS it listed Carcinogens = No available data, However through Toxnet information was available that the chemical was found to be carcinogenic in animals.

  • Was the MSDS an adequate tool for a worker to use to gain an understanding about the potential health risks and how to protect him/herself? I found the MSDS to be valuable because the information in it enables workers to protect themselves while they are working at their work sites. However, it needs to be updated, it's 2018 and but the MSDS is from 2010, staying current is crucial and even more importantly the information is only valuable if that information is shared. Training and Education regarding an potential danger listed on the MSDS should be mandated by work sites.

Comments

  1. snaymallickNovember 4, 2018 at 6:24 PM

    I didn’t find any discrepancies in my research as well. I think the websites were very accurate to provide what we needed for our research. I think we also need to make sure we are accurately checking the websites to ensure we are collecting the right information on chemicals.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownNovember 10, 2018 at 8:07 PM

    I feel like there is a big difference between transparency and being able to do something about the transparency provided by an MSDS. In the case of the glass and surface cleaner that you chose to focus on, it is suggested to, "Wear protective gloves, 1-4 hours (breakthrough time): butyl rubber. Wear eye or face protection. Recommended: safety glasses with shields. Wash hands thoroughly after handling." However, does your husband's job make it easy to access these protective materials? Do they provide protective gloves, do they plan cleaning in a timely manner in oder to reduce exposure, are eye and face protectors easily available? I believe these are the questions we should be asking ourselves in order to take the next step after reading our MSDS at work.

    ReplyDelete

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