Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

WHEAT FLOUR

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Used e.g. as a foodstuff and filler/extender in resins, adhesives.

SYNONYMS

"wheat flour filler", "wheat flour extender", "Gem Brand", "Snow Queen", Sovereign, "High
Protein industrial Flour", "Bakers Flour", "Biscuit Flour", Semolina

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

May cause SENSITIZATION by inhalation and skin contact.

POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS

ACUTE HEALTH EFFECTS

SWALLOWED

  The material has NOT been classified as "harmful by ingestion". This is because of the lack of corroborating animal or human evidence. The material may still be damaging to the health of the individual, following ingestion, especially where pre-existing organ (e.g. liver, kidney) damage is evident. Present definitions of harmful or toxic substances are generally based on doses producing mortality (death) rather than those producing morbidity (disease, ill-health). Gastrointestinal tract discomfort may produce nausea and vomiting. In an occupational setting however, unintentional ingestion is not thought to be cause for concern.  

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

  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.  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.  Exposure to small quantities may induce hypersensitivity reactions characterized by acute bronchospasm, hives (urticaria), deep dermal wheals (angioneurotic edema), running nose (rhinitis) and blurred vision . Anaphylactic shock and skin rash (non-thrombocytopenic purpura) may occur. An individual may be predisposed to such anti-body mediated reaction if other chemical agents have caused prior sensitization (cross-sensitivity).  Allergic reactions involving the respiratory tract are usually due to interactions between IgE antibodies and allergens and occur rapidly. Allergic potential of the allergen and period of exposure often determine the severity of symptoms. Some people may be genetically more prone than others, and exposure to other irritants may aggravate symptoms. Allergy causing activity is due to interactions with proteins.  Attention should be paid to atopic diathesis, characterized by increased susceptibility to nasal inflammation, asthma and eczema.  Exogenous allergic alveolitis is induced essentially by allergen specific immune-  complexes of the IgG type; cell-mediated reactions (T lymphocytes) may be involved. Such allergy is of the delayed type with onset up to four hours following exposure.  Airway exposure to organic dusts from cereals and pseudo-cereals may result in both allergic and non-allergic airway disease. In addition, food allergy to compounds in cereals, e.g. gluten, may occur. "Grain dust lung" is one of the oldest identifiable occupational diseases having been described in Swedish literature in 1555.  Cereals (the seeds of plants) are usually members of the grass family. Pseudo-cereals are non-grasses. All cereals are a source of carbohydrate, B-group vitamins, soluble and insoluble fibre, folate, zinc, protein, iron, magnesium, phytonutrients, antioxidants, resistant starch and other substances.  Subacute and chronic effects of cereal dusts include extrinsic allergic alveolitis and insidious onset and restrictive airway insufficiency.  Allergic reactions may occur as a result of exposure to gluten and/ or other proteins. The allergy is an IgE mediated (Type I) immediate reaction and can be fatal. Not all cereals contain gluten but all contain protein, with the concentration (5-20%), dependant on the species of cereal.  Gluten is responsible for kneaded dough's elasticity, is essential for leavened bread making as it assists the bread to rise (it is present in wheat, barley, rye, oats, wild-  rice and spelt). Gluten intolerance (coeliac disease) is potentially life-threatening. Cereals which do not contain appreciable levels of gluten (buckwheat, rice, millet, quinoa) are often selected.  Dusts produced by proteins can sometimes sensitize workers like other foreign bodies. Symptoms include asthma appearing soon after exposure, with wheezing, narrowing of the airways and breathing difficulties. There may also be a chronic cough, phlegm, fever, muscle pains, fatigue and airway obstruction; chest X-rays may show a characteristic net-  like pattern or scarring at the tip and base. There may also be chest discomfort, headache, stomachache and a general feeling of unwellness. Often the clinical picture is similar to "farmer's lung" and other allergic lung inflammations. Prolonged contact with the skin can cause pain, redness, inflammation and ulceration. Repeated attacks can cause loss of lung function due to scarring.  Subacute and chronic effects of cereal dusts include extrinsic allergic alveolitis with insidious onset and restrictive respiratory insufficiency.  The inhalation of cereal flours and similar protein containing flours can elicit an IgE-  mediated allergic reaction known as baker's asthma, which is a common disease amongst workers in the cereal industry and in farmers. Many allergens from different origins have been implicated in baker's asthma, including additives, storage mites and pest proteins, but the main immunoglobulin (IgE) response seems to be directed to salt-soluble flour proteins. A single protein family, which represents the major fraction of salt-soluble proteins, includes the best characterised allergens from wheat and barley flour and, to some extent, those identified in rye flours. This family comprises inhibitors of insect and mammalian alpha-amylases and of trypsin. These inhibitors can be grouped into different subfamilies according to their level of amino-acid sequence identity. It has been shown that most inhibitor subfamilies include members that display IgE-binding capacity as well as in vitro allergenic activity. The presence of carbohydrate moieties, attached to the polypeptide domain of several inhibitors, has been shown to enhance their allergenic properties.