Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

WATTYL HICAT 50

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

May cause SENSITIZATION by skin contact.
Limited evidence of a carcinogenic effect.
May impair fertility.
May cause harm to the unborn child.
HARMFUL - May cause lung damage if swallowed.
Harmful by inhalation and in contact with skin.
Irritating to eyes 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.  Overexposure to non-ring alcohols causes nervous system symptoms. These include headache, muscle weakness and inco-ordination, giddiness, confusion, delirium and coma. Digestive symptoms may include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Aspiration is much more dangerous than ingestion because lung damage can occur and the substance is absorbed into the body. Alcohols with ring structures and secondary and tertiary alcohols cause more severe symptoms, as do heavier alcohols.  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

  This material can cause eye irritation and damage in some persons.  If applied to the eyes, this material causes severe eye damage.  Direct contact of the eye with ethanol may cause immediate stinging and burning with reflex closure of the lid and tearing, transient injury of the corneal epithelium and hyperaemia of the conjunctiva. Foreign-body type discomfort may persist for up to 2 days but healing is usually spontaneous and complete.  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 be harmful; systemic effects may resultfollowing absorption.  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.  The main effects of simple esters are irritation, stupor and insensibility. Headache, drowsiness, dizziness, coma and behavioral changes may occur. Respiratory symptoms may include irritation, shortness of breath, rapid breathing, throat inflammation, bronchitis,  lung inflammation and pulmonary edema, sometimes delayed. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and cramps are observed. Liver and kidney damage may result from massive exposures.  Prolonged exposure may cause headache, nausea and ultimately loss ofconsciousness.  If exposure to highly concentrated solvent atmosphere is prolonged this may lead to narcosis, unconsciousness, even coma and possible death.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  There has been concern that this material can cause cancer or mutations, but there is not enough data to make an assessment.  Skin contact with the material is more likely to cause a sensitization reaction in some persons compared to the general population.  Ample evidence exists from experimentation that reduced human fertility is directly caused by exposure to the material.  Ample evidence exists, from results in experimentation, that developmental disorders are directly caused by human exposure to the material.  

  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 is some evidence that inhaling this product is more likely to cause a sensitization reaction in some persons compared to the general population.  There is ample evidence that this material can be regarded as being able to cause cancer in humans based on experiments and other information.  Exposure to the material for prolonged periods may cause physical defects in the developing embryo (teratogenesis).  Prolonged or repeated contact with xylenes may cause defatting dermatitis with drying and cracking. Chronic inhalation of xylenes has been associated with central nervous system effects, loss of appetite, nausea, ringing in the ears, irritability, thirst anaemia, mucosal bleeding, enlarged liver and hyperplasia. Exposure may produce kidney and liver damage. In chronic occupational exposure, xylene (usually mix ed with other solvents) has produced irreversible damage to the central nervous system and ototoxicity (damages hearing and increases sensitivity to noise), probably due to neurotoxic mechanisms.  Industrial workers exposed to xylene with a maximum level of ethyl benzene of 0.06 mg/l (14 ppm) reported headaches and irritability and tired quickly. Functional nervous system disturbances were found in some workers employed for over 7 years whilst other workers had enlarged livers.  Xylene has been classed as a developmental toxin in some jurisdictions.  Small excess risks of spontaneous abortion and congenital malformation were reported amongst women exposed to xylene in the first trimester of pregnancy. In all cases, however, the women were also been exposed to other substances. Evaluation of workers chronically exposed to xylene has demonstrated lack of genotoxicity. Exposure to xylene has been associated with increased risks of haemopoietic malignancies but, again, simultaneous exposure to other substances (including benzene) complicates the picture. A long-term gavage study to mixed xylenes (containing 17% ethyl benzene) found no evidence of carcinogenic activity in rats and mice of either sex.  Chronic solvent inhalation exposures may result in nervous system impairment and liver and blood changes. [PATTYS].