Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

ZINC DITHIOCARBAMATE

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Rubber accelerator. Lube- oil additive. A lube oil additive for corrosion resistance, wear
resistance, antioxidant.

SYNONYMS

C2-H4-N2-S4.Zn, "dithiocarbamic acid zinc salt", "carbamic acid, dithio-, zinc salt",
"zinc bis(dithiocarbamato)-", bis(dithiocarbamato)zinc, cyamate, zimate, "Vanlube 26"

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

Very toxic to aquatic organisms.

POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS

ACUTE HEALTH EFFECTS

SWALLOWED

  Accidental ingestion of the material may be damaging to the health of the individual.  Lethal doses of some thiocarbamates have produced muscle weakness and ascending paralysis progressing to respiratory paralysis and death in animals. Exposure to small quantities of thiocarbamates and intake of small quantities of ethanol may produce flushing, breathing difficulties, nausea and vomiting and lowered blood pressure. Sensitization to alcohol may last as long as 6-14 days following exposure.  The acute toxicity of thiocarbamates is generally low, because of their rapid metabolism. Exposure to high doses may produce signs such as loss of appetite, squinting, excessive production of saliva, watery eyes, hairs standing on end, labored breathing, reduced body temperature, incoordination, depression and rapid muscle twitching.  

EYE

  Although the material is not thought to be an irritant, direct contact with the eye may cause transient discomfort characterized by tearing or conjunctival redness (as with windburn). Slight abrasive damage may also result. The material may produce foreign body irritation in certain individuals.  

SKIN

  The material is not thought to produce adverse health effects or skin irritation following contact (as classified using animal models). Nevertheless, 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.  

INHALED

  There is some evidence to suggest that 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.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  Limited evidence suggests that repeated or long-term occupational exposure may produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems.  There is some evidence that inhaling this product is more likely to cause a sensitization reaction in some persons compared to the general population.  Exposure to the material may cause concerns for human fertility, on the basis that similar materials provide some evidence of impaired fertility in the absence of toxic effects, or evidence of impaired fertility occurring at around the same dose levels as other toxic effects, but which are not a secondary non-specific consequence of other toxic effects..  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.  Some dithiocarbamates may cause birth defects and cancer and may affect male reproductive capacity. They may also cause goiter (overactivity of the thyroid gland) and nerve disorders.  Thiocarbamates have been shown to alter sperm form and therefore reproduction.  Welding or flame cutting of metals with zinc or zinc dust coatings may result in inhalation of zinc oxide fume; high concentrations of zinc oxide fume may result in "metal fume fever"; also known as "brass chills", an industrial disease of short duration. [I.L.O] Symptoms include malaise, fever, weakness, nausea and may appear quickly if operations occur in enclosed or poorly ventilated areas.