Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

HCA GOLD BRONZE POWDER PG, RG, RPG

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Pigment. Used according to manufacturer' s directions.

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

Harmful if swallowed.
Irritating to eyes.
Flammable.
Very toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long- term adverse effects in the
aquatic environment.

POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS

ACUTE HEALTH EFFECTS

SWALLOWED

  Accidental ingestion of the material may be damaging to the health of the individual.  A metallic taste, nausea, vomiting and burning feeling in the upper stomach region occur after ingestion of copper and its derivatives. The vomitus is usually green/blue and discolors contaminated skin. Acute poisonings from ingestion are rare due to their prompt removal by vomiting. Should vomiting not occur, or is delayed systemic poisoning may occur producing kidney and liver damage, wide-spread capillary damage, and be fatal; death may occur after relapse from an apparent recovery. Anemia may occur in acute poisoning.  

EYE

  There is some evidence to suggest that this material can causeeye irritation and damage in some persons.  Copper salts, in contact with the eye, may produce conjunctivitis or even ulceration and turbidity of the cornea.  

SKIN

  Skin contact is not thought to have harmful health effects, however the material may still produce health damage following entry through wounds, lesions or abrasions.  Exposure to copper, by skin, has come from its use in pigments, ointments, ornaments, jewellery, dental amalgams and IUDs and as an antifungal agent and an algicide. Although copper algicides are used in the treatment of water in swimming pools and reservoirs, there are no reports of toxicity from these applications. Reports of allergic contact dermatitis following contact with copper and its salts have appeared in the literature, however the exposure concentrations leading to any effect have been poorly characterised. In one study, patch testing of 1190 eczema patients found that only 13 (1.1%) cross-  reacted with 2% copper sulfate in petrolatum. The investigators warned, however, that the possibility of contamination with nickel (an established contact allergen) might have been the cause of the reaction. Copper salts often produce an itching eczema in contact with skin. This is, likely, of a non-allergic nature.  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

  Inhalation may produce health damage*.  There is some evidence to suggest that this material, if inhaled, can irritate the throat and lungs of some persons.  Inhalation of dusts, generated by the material during the course of normal handling, may be damaging to the health of the individual.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  Limited evidence suggests that repeated or long-term occupational exposure may produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems.  Metallic dusts generated by the industrial process give rise to a number of potential health problems. The larger particles, above 5 micron, are nose and throat irritants. Smaller particles however, may cause lung deterioration. Particles of less than 1.5 micron can be trapped in the lungs and, dependent on the nature of the particle, may give rise to further serious health consequences.  Glyceryl triesters (triglycerides), following ingestion, are metabolised to monoglycerides, free fatty acids and glycerol, all of which are absorbed in the intestinal mucosa and undergo further metabolism. Little or no acute, subchronic or chronic oral toxicity was seen in animal studies unless levels approached a significant percentage of calorific intake. Subcutaneous injections of tricaprylin in rats over a five-week period caused granulomatous reaction characterised by oil deposits surrounded by macrophages. Diets containing substantial levels of tributyrin produced gastric lesions in rats fed for 3-35 weeks; the irritative effect of the substance was thought to be the cause of tissue damage.  Dermal application was not associated with significant irritation in rabbit skin; ocular exposures were, at most, mildly irritating to rabbit eyes. No evidence of sensitisation or photosensitisation was seen in a guinea pig maximisation test. Most of the genotoxicity test systems were negative. Tricaprylin, trioctanoin and triolein have been used, historically, as vehicles in carcinogenicity testing of other chemicals. In one study, subcutaneous injection of tricaprylin, in newborn mice, produced more tumours in lymphoid tissue than were seen in untreated animals whereas, in another study, subcutaneous or intraperitoneal injection in 4- to 6-week old female mice produced no tumours. Trioctanoin injected subcutaneously in hamster produced no tumours; when injected intraperitoneally in pregnant rats there was an increase in mammary tumours among the off-spring but similar studies in pregnant hamsters and rabbits showed no tumours in the off-spring.  The National Toxicological Program conducted a 2-year study in rats given tricaprylin by gavage. The treatment was associated with a statistically significant dose-related increase in pancreatic acinar cell hyperplasia and adenoma but there were no acinar carcinomas.  Tricaprylin is not teratogenic to mice or rats but some reproductive effects were seen in rabbits. A low level of foetal eye abnormalities and a small percentage of abnormal sperm were reported in mice injected with trioctanoin.  The liquid may produce skin discomfort following prolonged contact. Defatting and/or drying of the skin may lead to dermatitis.