Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

X-ERGON 100XL 1/8 0014000L

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Used according to manufacturer' s directions.

SYNONYMS

"welding flux"

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

Danger of cumulative effects.
Irritating to respiratory system.
May cause CANCER.
May cause SENSITIZATION by inhalation and skin contact.
Danger of serious damage to health by prolonged exposure.
May impair fertility.
Harmful by inhalation and if swallowed.

POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS

ACUTE HEALTH EFFECTS

SWALLOWED

  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.  Not normally a hazard due to physical form of product.  Considered an unlikely route of entry in commercial/industrial environments.  

EYE

  Fumes from welding/brazing operations may be irritating to the eyes.  

SKIN

  Skin contact does not normally present a hazard, though it is always possible that occasionally individuals may be found who react to substances usually regarded as inert.  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

  The material can cause respiratory irritation in some persons. The body's response to such irritation can cause further lung damage.  Inhalation of vapors, aerosols (mists, fumes) or dusts, generated by the material during the course of normal handling, may be harmful.  Regular exposure to nickel fume, as the oxide, may result in "metal fume fever" a sometimes debilitating upper respiratory tract condition resembling influenza.  Symptoms include malaise, fever, weakness, nausea and may appear quickly if operations occur in closed or poorly ventilated areas. Pulmonary edema, pulmonary fibrosis and asthma has been reported in welders using nickel alloys; level of exposure are generally not available and case reports are often confounded by mixed exposures to other agents.  Inhalation of freshly formed metal oxide particles sized below 1.5 microns and generally between 0.02 to 0.05 microns may result in "metal fume fever". Symptoms may be delayed for up to 12 hours and begin with the sudden onset of thirst, and a sweet, metallic or foul taste in the mouth. Other symptoms include upper respiratory tract irritation accompanied by coughing and a dryness of the mucous membranes, lassitude and a generalized feeling of malaise. Mild to severe headache, nausea, occasional vomiting, fever or chills, exaggerated mental activity, profuse sweating, diarrhea, excessive urination and prostration may also occur. Tolerance to the fumes develops rapidly, but is quickly lost. All symptoms usually subside within 24-36 hours following removal from exposure.  Chrome fume is irritating to the respiratory tract and lungs. Toxic effects result from over-exposure. Asthmatic conditions may result as a consequence of the sensitising action of chrome VI compounds.  Welding or flame cutting of metals with chromate pigmented primers or coatings may result in inhalation of highly toxic chromate fumes. Exposures may be significant in enclosed or poorly ventilated areas.  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.  Harmful levels of ozone may be found when working in confined spaces. Symptoms of exposure include irritation of the upper membranes of the respiratory tract and lungs as well as pulmonary (lung) changes including irritation, accumulation of fluid (congestion and edema) and in some cases hemorrhage. Exposure may aggravate any pre-existing lung condition such as bronchitis, asthma or emphysema.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  There is ample evidence that this material can be regarded as being able to cause cancer in humans based on experiments and other information.  Ample evidence exists from experimentation that reduced human fertility is directly caused by exposure to the material.  

  Repeated or long-term occupational exposure is likely to produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems.  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.  Inhaling this product is more likely to cause a sensitization reaction in some persons compared to the general population.  Skin contact with the material is more likely to cause a sensitization reaction in some persons compared to the general population.  This material can cause serious damage if one is exposed to it for long periods. It can be assumed that it contains a substance which can produce severe defects. This has been demonstrated via both short- and long-term experimentation.  Welding fume with high levels of ferrous materials may lead to particle deposition in the lungs (siderosis) after long exposure. This clears up when exposure stops. Chronic exposure to iron dusts may lead to eye disorders.  Ozone is suspected to produce lung cancer in laboratory animals; no reports of this effect have been documented in exposed human populations.  WARNING: Nickel is classified by IARC as       Group 1 - CARCINOGENIC TO HUMANS. There is little information on the effects on welders of fume containing nickel.  Exposure to fume containing high concentrations of water-soluble chromium (VI) during the welding of stainless steels in confined spaces has been reported to result in chronic chrome intoxication, dermatitis and asthma. Certain insoluble chromium (VI) compounds have been named as carcinogens (by the ACGIH) in other work environments. Chromium may also appear in welding fumes as Cr2O3 or double oxides with iron. These chromium (III) compounds are generally biologically inert.  Nickel dusts, fumes and salts are potent contact allergens and sensitizers producing a dermatitis known as "nickel" rash.  In the absence of properly designed ventilation systems or where respiratory protective devises are inadequate, up to 10% of exposed workers are expected to be symptomatic.  Chromium VI exposures have been related to higher incidence of lung cancer.