Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

WATTYL INTERMEDIATE VINYL INTERMEDIATE FOR Q106

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Used according to manufacturer' s directions. The use of a quantity of material in an
unventilated or confined space may result in increased exposure and an irritating
atmosphere developing.Before starting consider control of exposure by mechanical
ventilation.

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

Possible risk of harm to the unborn child.
HARMFUL - May cause lung damage if swallowed.
Harmful: danger of serious damage to health by prolonged exposure through
inhalation.
Harmful by inhalation and if swallowed.
Irritating to eyes, respiratory system and skin.
Highly flammable.
Vapors may cause dizziness or suffocation.

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.  Considered an unlikely route of entry in commercial/industrial environments. The liquid may produce gastrointestinal discomfort and may be harmful if swallowed. Ingestion may result in nausea, pain and vomiting. Vomit entering the lungs by aspiration may cause potentially lethal chemical pneumonitis.  Central nervous system (CNS) depression may include general discomfort, symptoms of giddiness, headache, dizziness, nausea, anaesthetic effects, slowed reaction time, slurred speech and may progress to unconsciousness. Serious poisonings may result in respiratory depression and may be fatal.  

EYE

  There is evidence that material may produce eye irritation in some persons and produce eye damage 24 hours or more after instillation. Severe inflammation may be expected with pain. There may be damage to the cornea. Unless treatment is prompt and adequate there may be permanent loss of vision. Conjunctivitis can occur following repeated exposure.  The liquid produces a high level of eye discomfort and is capable of causing pain and severe conjunctivitis. Corneal injury may develop, with possible permanent impairment of vision, if not promptly and adequately treated.  The material may produce severe irritation to the eye causing pronounced inflammation. Repeated or prolonged exposure to irritants may produce conjunctivitis.  

SKIN

  Skin contact with the material may damage the health of the individual; systemic effects may result following absorption.  There is some evidence to suggest that the material may cause moderate inflammation of the skin either following direct contact or after a delay of some time. Repeated exposure can cause contact dermatitis which is characterized by redness, swelling and blistering.  Repeated exposure may cause skin cracking, flaking or drying following normal handling and use.  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.  The material may cause skin irritation after prolonged or repeated exposure and may produce on contact skin redness, swelling, the production of vesicles, scaling and thickening of the skin.  

INHALED

  Inhalation of aerosols (mists, fumes), generated by the material during the course of normal handling, may be harmful.  The material can cause respiratory irritation in some persons. The body's response to such irritation can cause further lung damage.  Inhalation of vapours may cause drowsiness and dizziness. This may be accompanied by narcosis, reduced alertness, loss of reflexes, lack of coordination and vertigo.  Ketone vapors irritate the nose, throat and mucous membrane. High concentrations depress the central nervous system, causing headache, vertigo, poor concentration, sleep and failure of the heart and breathing. Some ketones can cause multiple nerve disorders, inducing "pins and needles" and weakness in the limbs.  If exposure to highly concentrated solvent atmosphere is prolonged this may lead to narcosis, unconsciousness, even coma and possible death.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  Limited evidence suggests that repeated or long-term occupational exposure may 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.  There has been some concern that this material can cause cancer or mutations but there is not enough data to make an assessment.  There is some evidence that human exposure to the material may result in developmental toxicity. This evidence is based on animal studies where effects have been observed in the absence of marked maternal toxicity, or at around the same dose levels as other toxic effects but which are not secondary non-specific consequences of the other toxic effects.  Chronic toluene habituation occurs following intentional abuse (glue sniffing) or from occupational exposure. Ataxia, incoordination and tremors of the hands and feet (as a consequence of diffuse cerebral atrophy), headache, abnormal speech, transient memory loss, convulsions, coma, drowsiness, reduced colour perception, frank blindness, nystagmus (rapid, involuntary eye-movements), hearing loss leading to deafness and mild dementia have all been associated with chronic abuse. Peripheral nerve damage, encephalopathy, giant axonopathy electrolyte disturbances in the cerebrospinal fluid and abnormal computer tomographic (CT scans) are common amongst toluene addicts. Although toluene abuse has been linked with kidney disease, this does not commonly appear in cases of occupational toluene exposures. Cardiac and haematological toxicity are however associated with chronic toluene exposures. Cardiac arrhythmia, multifocal and premature ventricular contractions and supraventricular tachycardia are present in 20% of patients who abused toluene-containing paints. Previous suggestions that chronic toluene inhalation produced human peripheral neuropathy have been discounted. However central nervous system (CNS) depression is well documented where blood toluene exceeds 2.2 mg%. Toluene abusers can achieve transient circulating concentrations of 6.5 mg%. Amongst workers exposed for a median time of 29 years, to toluene, no subacute effects on neurasthenic complaints and psychometric test results could be established. The prenatal toxicity of very high toluene concentrations has been documented for several animal species and man. Malformations indicative of specific teratogenicity have not generally been found. Neonatal toxicity, described in the literature, takes the form of embryo death or delayed foetal growth and delayed skeletal system development. Permanent damage of children has been seen only when mothers have suffered from chronic intoxication as a result of "sniffing".  Chronic solvent inhalation exposures may result in nervous system impairment and liver and blood changes. [PATTYS].