Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

OCTYLPHENOL ETHOXYLATE BRANCHED

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Alcohol ethoxylates (AE) are used in many types of consumer and industrial products like,
e.g., laundry detergents, all- purpose cleaning agents, dishwashing agents, emulsifiers,
and wetting agents. Alcohol alkoxylates (AA) are used as weakly foaming and foam-
mitigating surfactants in household cleaning agents, dishwashing agents and cleaning
agents designed for the food industry. Other applications of AA include textile
lubricants, agricultural chemicals, and rinse aid formulations Alcohol ethoxylates (AE)
are nonionic surfactants composed of a hydrophobic alkyl chain (fatty alcohol) which is
combined with a number of ethoxylate, or ethylene oxide, units via an ether linkage.
Alcohol alkoxylates (AA) normally contain both ethylene oxide (EO) and propylene oxide
(PO) in their hydrophilic moiety, whereas butylene oxide (BO) is less frequently used. The
abbreviation AA has been used to designate nonionic surfactants with a hydrophilic part
containing PO (or BO), frequently in combination with EO. Nonionic surfactant used in
detergents, emulsifiers, wetting agents, stabilisers, dispersants etc.

SYNONYMS

C14-H22-O(C2-H4-O)n, "polyethylene glycol mono-octylphenyl ether, branched", "glycols,
polyethylene, mono(octylphenyl)ether, branched", "phenol, octyl-, monoether with
polyethylene glycol branched", "poly(oxy-1, 2-ethanediyl), alpha-(octylphenyl)-omega-
hydroxy-, branched", "poly(oxy-1, 2-ethanediyl), alpha-(octylphenyl)-omega-hydroxy-,
branched", "octylphenoxy polyethoxy ethanol branched", "octylphenoxy
poly(ethyleneoxy)ethanol branched", "(C8)-branched alkyl phenol ethoxylate", "ethoxylated
octylphenol", "nonionic surfactant"

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

Harmful if swallowed.
Irritating to skin.
Risk of serious damage to eyes.
Very toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long- term adverse effects in the
aquatic environment.

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.  Nonionic surfactants may produce localized irritation of the oral or gastrointestinal lining and induce vomiting and mild diarrhea.  

EYE

  If applied to the eyes, this material causes severe eye damage.  Non-ionic surfactants can cause numbing of the cornea, which masks discomfort normally caused by other agents and leads to corneal injury. Irritation varies depending on the duration of contact, the nature and concentration of the surfactant.  

SKIN

  The material may cause mild but significant 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.  Open cuts, abraded or irritated skin should not be exposed to this material.  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

  The material is not thought to produce either adverse health effects or irritation of the respiratory tract following inhalation (as classified using animal models). Nevertheless, adverse effects have been produced following exposure of animals by at least one other route and 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

  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..  Exposure to alkyl phenolics  is associated with reduced sperm count andfertility in males.