Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

IMIDAZOLE

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Biological control of pests, especially fabric- feeding insects, often in combination with
dl- p- fluorophenylalanine, an amino- acid inhibitor; also as a contact insecticide in oil
sprays.

SYNONYMS

C3-H4-N2, 1H-imidazole, "1, 3-diaza-2, 4-cyclopentadiene", "1, 3-diaza-2, 4-
cyclopentadiene", "1, 3-diazole", "1, 3-diazole", glyoxalin, glyoxaline, imidazol, Imutex,
Miazole, pyrro[b]monazole, "insecticide/ pesticide", 210803

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

Harmful if swallowed.
Causes burns.
Risk of serious damage to eyes.

POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS

ACUTE HEALTH EFFECTS

SWALLOWED

  The material can produce chemical burns within the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract following ingestion.  Accidental ingestion of the material may be harmful; animal experiments indicate that ingestion of less than 150 gram may be fatal or may produce serious damage to the health of the individual.  The material can produce severe chemical burns within the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract following ingestion.  Ingestion of alkaline corrosives may produce burns around the mouth, ulcerations and swellings of the mucous membranes, profuse saliva production, with an inability to speak or swallow. Both the esophagus and stomach may experience burning pain; vomiting and diarrhea may follow. Epiglottal swelling may result in respiratory distress and asphyxia; shock can occur. Narrowing of the esophagus, stomach or stomach valve may occur immediately or after a long delay (weeks to years). Severe exposure can perforate the esophagus or stomach leading to infections of the chest or abdominal cavity, with low chest pain, abdominal stiffness and fever. All of the above can cause death.  

EYE

  The material can produce chemical burns to the eye following direct contact. Vapors or mists may be extremely irritating.  The material can produce severe chemical burns to the eye following direct contact. Vapors or mists may be extremely irritating.  If applied to the eyes, this material causes severe eye damage.  Direct eye contact with corrosive bases can cause pain and burns. There may be swelling, epithelium destruction, clouding of the cornea and inflammation of the iris. Mild cases often resolve; severe cases can be prolonged with complications such as persistent swelling, scarring, permanent cloudiness, bulging of the eye, cataracts, eyelids glued to the eyeball and blindness.  The material may be irritating to the eye, with prolonged contact causing inflammation. Repeated or prolonged exposure to irritants may produce conjunctivitis.  

SKIN

  The material can produce chemical burns following direct contactwith the skin.  The material can produce severe chemical burns following direct contactwith the skin.  Skin contact with alkaline corrosives may produce severe pain and burns; brownish stains may develop. The corroded area may be soft, gelatinous and necrotic; tissue destruction may be deep.  Skin contact is not thought to produce harmful health effects (as classified using animal models). Systemic harm, however, has been identified following exposure of animals by at least one other route and the material may still produce health damage following entry through wounds, lesions or abrasions. Good hygiene practice requires that exposure be kept to a minimum and that suitable gloves be used in an occupational setting.  Entry into the blood-stream, through, for example, cuts, abrasions or lesions, may produce systemic injury with harmful effects. Examine the skin prior to the use of the material and ensure that any external damage is suitably protected.  The material may cause skin irritation after prolonged or repeated exposure and may produce on contact skin redness, swelling, the production of vesicles, scaling and thickening of the skin.  

INHALED

  The material can cause respiratory irritation in some persons. The body's response to such irritation can cause further lung damage.  Persons with impaired respiratory function, airway diseases and conditions such as emphysema or chronic bronchitis, may incur further disability if excessive concentrations of particulate are inhaled.  The material is not thought to produce adverse health effects following inhalation (as classified using animal models). Nevertheless, adverse effects have been produced following exposure of animals by at least one other route and good hygiene practice requires that exposure be kept to a minimum and that suitable control measures be used in an occupational setting.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  Asthma-like symptoms may continue for months or even years after exposure to the material ceases. This may be due to a non-allergenic condition known as reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS) which can occur following exposure to high levels of highly irritating compound. Key criteria for the diagnosis of RADS include the absence of preceding respiratory disease, in a non-atopic individual, with abrupt onset of persistent asthma-like symptoms within minutes to hours of a documented exposure to the irritant. A reversible airflow pattern, on spirometry, with the presence of moderate to severe bronchial hyperreactivity on methacholine challenge testing and the lack of minimal lymphocytic inflammation, without eosinophilia, have also been included in the criteria for diagnosis of RADS. RADS (or asthma) following an irritating inhalation is an infrequent disorder with rates related to the concentration of and duration of exposure to the irritating substance. Industrial bronchitis, on the other hand, is a disorder that occurs as result of exposure due to high concentrations of irritating substance (often particulate in nature) and is completely reversible after exposure ceases. The disorder is characterised by dyspnea, cough and mucus production.  Repeated or prolonged exposure to corrosives may result in the erosion of teeth, inflammatory and ulcerative changes in the mouth and necrosis (rarely) of the jaw. Bronchial irritation, with cough, and frequent attacks of bronchial pneumonia may ensue. Gastrointestinal disturbances may also occur. Chronic exposures may result in dermatitis and/or conjunctivitis.  Long term exposure to high dust concentrations may cause changes in lung function i.e. pneumoconiosis; caused by particles less than 0.5 micron penetrating and remaining in the lung. Prime symptom is breathlessness; lung shadows show on X-ray.  Limited evidence suggests that repeated or long-term occupational exposure may produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems.  Imidazole is structurally related to histamine and has been used as an antagonist to counteract the effects of excess histamine found in certain induced physiological conditions (it therefore acts as an antihistamine).  Imidazoles have been reported to disrupt male fertility through disruption of testicular function.  2-Methylimidazole decreased luteinising hormone secretion and tissue interstitial fluid testosterone concentration two hours after injection into Sprague Dawley rats.  Imidazoles bind to cytochrome P450 haeme, resulting in inhibition of catalysis. However, 2-substituted imidazoles are considered to be poor inhibitors. Imidazole is probably an inducer of cytochrome P4502E1. In general, inducers of this isozyme stabilise the enzyme by preventing phosporylation of a serine which leads to haeme loss.  Several drugs containing an imidazole moiety were retained and bound in connective tissue when administered to laboratory animals. The bound material was primarily recovered from elastin (70%) and the collagen. It is postulated that reaction with aldehydes gives an aldol condensation product.  Long-term use of antihistamines can cause sugar in the urine, obstructive jaundice, skin discoloration associated with loss of platelets, early periods, loss of milk production, breast development in males and decreased sex drive. Disturbances in the blood include anemia, loss of white blood cells and platelets. Allergic reactions include fever, eczema,  red wheal and blistering, a measles-like or scarlet-fever like rash, itching, sensitivity to light, swelling of the extremities, throat and other areas, asthma, lupus-like symptoms and anaphylactic shock. Prolonged use may cause difficulty in moving the muscles of the face. Withdrawing the drug generally improves these effects.