Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

MANCOZEB

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Fungicide. Intermediate

SYNONYMS

C4-H6-Mn-N2-S4.C4-H6-N2-S4-Zn, "ethylenebis(dithiocarbamic acid), manganese zinc complex,
8CI", "carbamic acid, ethylenebis(dithio-, manganese zinc complex (8CI)",
"dithiocarbamate derivative", Carmazine, "Dithane M 45", "Dithane M45", "Dithane S 60",
"Dithane SPC", "Dithane Ultra", "F 2966", Fore, "Green-diasen M", Karamate, Manzeb,
Marzin, "Manzin 80", Mancofol, Maneb-zinc, Manoseb, "Manzate 200", Nemispor, "Policar MZ",
"Policar S", "Triziman D", Vondozeb, Zimanat, Zimaneb, Zimman-dithane

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

Irritating to respiratory system.
May cause SENSITIZATION by skin contact.
Very toxic to aquatic organisms.

POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS

ACUTE HEALTH EFFECTS

SWALLOWED

  Accidental ingestion of the material may be damaging to the health of the individual.  Lethal doses of some thiocarbamates have produced muscle weakness and ascending paralysis progressing to respiratory paralysis and death in animals. Exposure to small quantities of thiocarbamates and intake of small quantities of ethanol may produce flushing, breathing difficulties, nausea and vomiting and lowered blood pressure. Sensitization to alcohol may last as long as 6-14 days following exposure.  The acute toxicity of thiocarbamates is generally low, because of their rapid metabolism. Exposure to high doses may produce signs such as loss of appetite, squinting, excessive production of saliva, watery eyes, hairs standing on end, labored breathing, reduced body temperature, incoordination, depression and rapid muscle twitching.  Poisonings rarely occur after oral administration of manganese salts because they are poorly absorbed from the gut.  

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

  Inhalation may produce health damage*.  The material can cause respiratory irritation in some persons. The body's response to such irritation can cause further lung damage.  Inhalation of vapors or aerosols (mists, fumes), generated by the material during the course of normal handling, may be damaging to the health of the individual.  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.  Manganese fume is toxic and produces nervous system effects characterized by tiredness. Acute poisoning is rare although acute inflammation of the lungs may occur. A chemical pneumonia may also result from frequent exposure. 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.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  Long-term exposure to respiratory irritants may result in disease of the airways involving difficult breathing and related systemic problems.  Skin contact with the material is more likely to cause a sensitization reaction in some persons compared to the general population.  Limited evidence suggests that repeated or long-term occupational exposure may produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems.  There is some evidence that inhaling this product is more likely to cause a sensitization reaction in some persons compared to the general population.  Exposure to the material may cause concerns for human fertility, on the basis that similar materials provide some evidence of impaired fertility in the absence of toxic effects, or evidence of impaired fertility occurring at around the same dose levels as other toxic effects, but which are not a secondary non-specific consequence of other toxic 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.  Manganese is an essential trace element. Chronic exposure to low levels of manganese can include a mask-like facial expression, spastic gait, tremors, slurred speech, disordered muscle tone, fatigue, anorexia, loss of strength and energy, apathy and poor concentration.  Some dithiocarbamates may cause birth defects and cancer and may affect male reproductive capacity. They may also cause goiter (overactivity of the thyroid gland) and nerve disorders.  Thiocarbamates have been shown to alter sperm form and therefore reproduction.  Male rats exposed to nose-only airborne dusts of mancozeb, 5 days/week for 13 weeks showed significant reductions in weight gain and terminal body weight at 326 mg/m3 (respirable particle size 144 mg/m3 - the mass median diameter of the exposure aerosol was 4.4 micrometers). A significant  reduction in thyroxine levels and treatment related hyperplasia (abnormal cell growth) of the thyroid follicular epithelium) was reported in females at 326 mg/m3. Thyroid effects were seen in both rats and mice following administration of mancozeb by the oral route for 4.5 months or less. Histopathologic examination of the thyroid revealed minimum to moderate thyroid hyperplasia in rats fed at 1000 ppm or higher.  Rats fed at dietary levels of 750 ppm (37.5 mg/kg/day) for 2 years showed statistically significant increases in thyroid follicular cell carcinoma in males and in combined follicular cell carcinoma and adenoma in females. There was also a statistically significant increase in the incidence of bilateral retinopathy in both sexes.  Health studies conducted on male mancozeb workers, exposed for up to 25 years, and concentrating on thyroid function, showed no abnormalities. A separate mortality study conducted on all known mancozeb production workers, performed in 1975, did not reveal an differences in rate or cause of death. A follow up study performed in 1978, employing a larger and more sensitive range of thyroid function tests, revealed no clinical or laboratory evidence of thyroid dysfunction, liver abnormalities or changes in blood chemistry attributable to mancozeb exposure.  Mancozeb at high levels, 3000 mg/kg, has caused birth defects in test animals. Ethylenethiourea (ETU), a trace contaminant and breakdown product of mancozeb has caused thyroid effects, tumours, and birth defects in laboratory animals. (Rohm and Haas)