Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

KIMBERLY-CLARK LABORATORY ORGANIC CHEMICAL WASTE

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

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. Laboratory waste.

SYNONYMS

"laboratory waste", "methylene chloride"

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

Harmful if swallowed.
Irritating to skin.
Limited evidence of a carcinogenic effect.

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.  There is strong evidence to suggest that this material can cause, if swallowed once, irreversible damage of organs.  Depression of the central nervous system is the most outstanding effect of most halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons. Inebriation and excitation, passing into narcosis, is a typical reaction. In severe acute exposures there is always a danger of death from respiratory failure or cardiac arrest due to a tendency to make the heart more susceptible to catecholamines (adrenalin).  

EYE

  There is some evidence that material may produce eye irritation in some persons and produce eye damage 24 hours or more after instillation. Moderate inflammation may be expected with redness; conjunctivitis may occur with prolonged exposure.  The material may produce moderate eye irritation leading to 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.  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.  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 severe 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. Repeated exposures may produce severe ulceration.  

INHALED

  Inhalation may produce health 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.  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.  Inhalation of vapours may cause drowsiness and dizziness. This may be accompanied by narcosis, reduced alertness, loss of reflexes, lack of coordination and vertigo.  Inhalation exposure may cause susceptible individuals to show change in heart beat rhythm i.e. cardiac arrhythmia. Exposures must be terminated.  Acute intoxication by halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons appears to take place over two stages. Signs of a reversible narcosis are evident in the first stage and in the second stage signs of injury to organs may become evident, a single organ alone is (almost) never involved.  At high concentrations most of the absorbed methylene chloride (dichloromethane) is exhaled unchanged; the remainder is metabolised to carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and inorganic chloride. Inhalation may produce fatigue, weakness, sleepiness, light-  headedness, chills, nausea, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. The lowest published lethal dose is 20,000 ppm for 20 hours. The body metabolises methylene chloride to carbon monoxide and adds to the body burden of carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb) contributed by other sources. The increase in COHb is related to the magnitude of vapour exposure and duration. Serious poisoning can occur without raised COHb concentrations, although these raised concentrations may persist for several hours. Central nervous system (CNS) effects are thought to be due to methylene chloride itself or methylene chloride in combination with other sources of COHb, rather than the COHb metabolite. The raised COHb concentrations are not usually expected to produce adverse effects in healthy individuals but may be cause for concern in individuals with cardiovascular disease. Encephalopathy (brain injury) has been reported after repeated exposure. Angina, myocardial infarction, cardiac arrhythmias and cardiac arrest have also been reported, although the cardiovascular system is not generally a target for methylene chloride toxicity. Hypotension, shock and metabolic acidosis may also occur as a result of overexposure. Respiratory failure may develop, secondary to CNS depression, in severe cases.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  Limited evidence suggests that repeated or long-term occupational exposure may produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems.  There has been concern that this material can cause cancer or mutations, but there is not enough data to make an assessment.  There is some evidence to provide a presumption that human exposure to the material may result in impaired fertility on the basis of: some evidence in animal studies 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 is not a secondary non-  specific consequence of other toxic effects.  Dichloromethane exposures cause liver and kidney damage in animals and this justifies consideration before exposing persons with a history of impaired liver function and/or renal disorders.  Dichloromethane is stored in body fat and metabolized to carbon monoxide, which reduces the oxygen carrying capacity of blood.