Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

PALLADIUM POWDER

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Alloys, catalyst for reforming cracked petroleum fractions and hydrogenation; metallising
ceramics, " white gold" . Catalyst

SYNONYMS

Pd

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

Spontaneously flammable in air.
Highly flammable.
May cause fire.
Harmful to aquatic organisms.

POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS

ACUTE HEALTH EFFECTS

SWALLOWED

  Accidental ingestion of the material may be damaging to the health of the individual.  Not normally a hazard due to the physical form of product. The material is a physical irritant to the gastrointestinal tract.  Colloidal palladium is reported to increase body temperature, producediscoloration and tissue death at the site of injection, decreasebody-weight and cause some destruction of blood cells.  

EYE

  There is some evidence to suggest that this material can causeeye irritation and damage in some persons.  Contact with the eye, by metal dusts, may produce mechanical abrasion or foreign body penetration of the eyeball.  

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

  Inhalation may produce health damage*.  The material is not thought to produce respiratory irritation (as classified using animal models). Nevertheless inhalation of dusts, or fume, especially for prolonged periods, may produce respiratory discomfort and occasionally, distress.  Inhalation of dusts, generated by the material during the course of normal handling, may be damaging to the health of the individual.  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 inhalation of small particles of metal oxide results in sudden thirst, a sweet, metallic our foul taste, throat irritation, cough, dry mucous membranes, tiredness and general unwellness. Headache, nausea and vomiting, fever or chills, restlessness, sweating, diarrhea, excessive urination and prostration may also occur. After exposure is removed, recovery occurs within 24-36 hours.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  There has been some concern that this material can cause cancer or mutations but there is not enough data to make an assessment.  Limited evidence suggests that repeated or long-term occupational exposure may produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems.  There is limited evidence that, skin contact with this product is more likely to cause a sensitization reaction in some persons compared to the general population.  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.  There is a weak association between palladium chloride and tumor productionon the basis of a single study.