Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

IMIDAZOLE HYDROCHLORIDE

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Intermediate. Intermediate

SYNONYMS

C3-H4-N2.HCl

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

None

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

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.  

INHALED

  The material is not thought to produce adverse health effects or irritation of the respiratory tract (as classified using animal models). Nevertheless, good hygiene practice requires that exposure be kept to a minimum and that suitable control measures be used in an occupational setting.  

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.  Imidazole is structurally related to histamine and has been used as an antagonist to counteract the effects of excess histamine found in certain induced physiological conditions (it therefore acts as an antihistamine).  Imidazoles have been reported to disrupt male fertility through disruption of testicular function.  2-Methylimidazole decreased luteinising hormone secretion and tissue interstitial fluid testosterone concentration two hours after injection into Sprague Dawley rats.  Imidazoles bind to cytochrome P450 haeme, resulting in inhibition of catalysis. However, 2-substituted imidazoles are considered to be poor inhibitors. Imidazole is probably an inducer of cytochrome P4502E1. In general, inducers of this isozyme stabilise the enzyme by preventing phosporylation of a serine which leads to haeme loss.  Several drugs containing an imidazole moiety were retained and bound in connective tissue when administered to laboratory animals. The bound material was primarily recovered from elastin (70%) and the collagen. It is postulated that reaction with aldehydes gives an aldol condensation product.