Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

ZIRCONIUM 2-ETHYLHEXANOATE

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Paint drier. Regeant

SYNONYMS

C8-H16-O2.Zr, "hexanoic acid, 2-ethyl-, zirconium salt", "hexanoic acid, 2-ethyl-,
zirconium salt", "zirconium 2-ethylhexoate", "zirconium 2-ethylhexoate", "2-ethylhexanoic
acid, zirconium salt", "2-ethylhexanoic acid, zirconium salt", "zirconium octanoate",
"zirconium drier"

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

None

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS

ACUTE HEALTH EFFECTS

SWALLOWED

  Although ingestion is not thought to produce harmful effects, the material may still be damaging to the health of the individual following ingestion, especially where pre-  existing organ (e.g. liver, kidney) damage is evident. Present definitions of harmful or toxic substances are generally based on doses producing mortality (death) rather than those producing morbidity (disease, ill-health). Gastrointestinal tract discomfort may produce nausea and vomiting. In an occupational setting however, ingestion of insignificant quantities is not thought to be cause for concern.  Accidental ingestion of the material may be damaging to the health of the individual.  Because inorganic zirconium is poorly absorbed from the digestive tract, acute oral toxicity is low. Injection is much more dangerous, causing progressive depression until death.  Ingestion of anionic surfactants may produce diarrhea, bloated stomach,and occasional vomiting.  

EYE

  There is some evidence to suggest that this material can causeeye irritation and damage in some persons.  Direct eye contact with some anionic surfactants in high concentration can cause severe damage to the cornea. Low concentrations can cause discomfort, excess blood flow, and corneal clouding and swelling. Recovery may take several days.  

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.  Skin contact is not thought to have harmful health effects, however the material may still produce health damage following entry through wounds, lesions or abrasions.  There is some evidence to suggest that this material can cause inflammation of the skin on contact in some persons.  Anionic surfactants can cause skin redness and pain, as well as a rash. Cracking, scaling and blistering can occur.  The external application of zirconium can cause nodules in the skinof the armpits.  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.  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.  Zirconium workers exposed to fume for 1-5 years showed no abnormalities due to zirconium. Animal studies also reveal a low order of hazard from inhaled zirconium.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  Long-term exposure to the product is not thought to produce chronic effects adverse to the health (as classified using animal models); nevertheless exposure by all routes should be minimized as a matter of course.  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.  Zirconium can accumulate in the spleen. Oral administration has not beenshown to cause any ill effects.  2-Ethylhexanoic acid (2-EHA) its esters and its salts are of concern to human health because of their potential to induce carcinogenicity, liver toxicity and developmental/reproductive toxicity. 2-EHA is of low acute oral and dermal toxicity, is a mild skin irritant and a severe eye irritant. It is not mutagenic in Ames test, but is capable of inducing chromosome aberration and sister chromatid exchanges in vitro, liver toxicity and liver tumours after repeated dose treatment, In addition, 2-EHA acid has been associated with reproductive and developmental toxicity in experimental animals.  2-EHA is quickly resorbed orally, dermally and following inhalation and almost fully excreted mainly  in urine. As in the case of fatty acids, degradation mainly takes place by means of peroxisomal  beta-oxidation.  Various studies on reproduction toxicity have produced indications of an embryotoxic effect of 2-EHA. After oral administration, NOAEL values for maternal toxicity and foetotoxic effects of 2-EHA were determined in rabbits at 25 and >250 mg/kg body weight/day and in rats at 250 and 100 mg/kg body weight/day. The foetotoxic findings in rats were based on a reduced skeleton ossification at the next higher dose (250 mg/kg body weight/day). No teratogenic effects were observed in this study. In comparison with the structural isomer valproic acid, a known human teratogen, 2-EHA does have similar reprotoxic effects at maternal toxic doses in animal experiments but a far lower potency  Following sub-chronic oral administration of 2-EHA, critical effects like liver changes (higher relative liver weight, histological changes in hepatocytes) were observed in rats and mice and histological renal tubule results were observed in mice. Furthermore, statistically significant, higher cholesterol values were found in all treated male rats (61, 303 and 917 mg/kg body weight/day) and in male and female mice in the middle and high dose groups (885-3139 mg/kg body weight/day). In rats the maximum dose with no adverse effect (NOAEL) was 61 mg/kg body weight/day  In bacterial test systems, mutagenicity studies produced negative findings. In test systems  with mammalian cells, by contrast, the findings were weakly positive. Cytogenetic and SCE studies involving CHO cells were positive, one SCE test in human lymphocytes was questionably positive and one experiment concerning tritium-thymidine incorporation into the DNA of mouse lymphocytes was negative. Furthermore, An unpublished micronucleus study on the bone marrow of CD-1 mice was conducted in compliance with OECD Guideline 474. No significant increase in the micronuclei was observed at doses of 400, 800 or 1,600 mg/kg body weight (Inveresk Research International Ltd, 1994). Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo genotoxicity data (micronucleus test, dominant lethal test) are available for 2-  ethylhexanol which is rapidly and quantitatively converted into 2-EHA in metabolism studies. This data do not indicate any genotoxic potential which means that such an effect of 2-EHA is not likely either. As 2-EHA can induce both DNA synthesis and inhibition of intercellular communication in hepatic cells, a tumour-promoting potential in rodents, comparable to that of other peroxisome proliferators, cannot be ruled out. The carcinogenic effect of peroxisome proliferators in rodents (e.g. of di(2-  ethylhexyl)phthalate, DEHP) is not deemed to be relevant for humans.  Calcium/zinc and barium/zinc salts of 2-EHA are used as thermo-stabilisers for PVC, together with co-stabilisers like polyols or epoxy compounds, in order to capture the hydrochloride cleaved during the thermal loading of PVC; in addition various salts are used in other food and beverage containers as plasticisers. The migration of 2-EHA from the sealing compounds in the metal lids. has been demonstrated in food contamination. The potential for human exposure to 2-EHA therefore is significant.