UNUSED WPP GENERIC PROC BLUE***OBSOLETE***
Flammability | 3 | |
Toxicity | 2 | |
Body Contact | 2 | |
Reactivity | 1 | |
Chronic | 2 | |
SCALE: Min/Nil=0 Low=1 Moderate=2 High=3 Extreme=4 |
Used according to manufacturer' s directions.
Irritating to eyes.
Highly flammable.
Accidental ingestion of the material may be damaging to the health of the individual. Ingestion of ethanol (ethyl alcohol, "alcohol") may produce nausea, vomiting, bleeding from the digestive tract, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Effects on the body:
Blood concentration | Effects |
<1.5 g/L | Mild: impaired vision, co-ordination and reaction time; emotional instability |
1.5-3.0 g/L | Moderate: Slurred speech, confusion, inco-ordination, emotional instability, disturbances in perception and senses, possible blackouts, and impaired objective performance in standardized tests. Possible double vision, flushing, fast heart rate, sweating and incontinence. Slow breathing may occur rarely and fast breathing may develop in cases of metabolic acidosis, low blood sugar and low blood potassium. Central nervous system depression may progress to coma. |
3-5 g/L | Severe: cold clammy skin, low body temperature and low blood pressure. Atrial fibrillation and heart block have been reported. Depression of breathing may occur, respiratory failure may follow serious poisoning, choking on vomit may result in lung inflammation and swelling. Convulsions due to severe low blood sugar may also occur. Acute liver inflammation may develop. |
There is evidence that material may produce eye irritation in some persons and produce eye damage 24 hours or more after instillation. Severe inflammation may be expected with pain. There may be damage to the cornea. Unless treatment is prompt and adequate there may be permanent loss of vision. Conjunctivitis can occur following repeated exposure. 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 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. Most liquid alcohols appear to act as primary skin irritants in humans. Significant percutaneous absorption occurs in rabbits but not apparently in man. 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.
Inhalation may produce health damage*. There is some evidence to suggest that this material, if inhaled, can irritate the throat and lungs of some persons. Aliphatic alcohols with more than 3-carbons cause headache, dizziness, drowsiness, muscle weakness and delirium, central depression, coma, seizures and behavioral changes. Secondary respiratory depression and failure, as well as low blood pressure and irregular heart rhythms, may follow. Nausea and vomiting are seen, and liver and kidney damage is possible as well following massive exposures. Symptoms are more acute the more carbons there are in the alcohol. Inhalation of high concentrations of gas/vapor causes lung irritation with coughing and nausea, central nervous depression with headache and dizziness, slowing of reflexes, fatigue and inco-ordination. If exposure to highly concentrated solvent atmosphere is prolonged this may lead to narcosis, unconsciousness, even coma and possible death. The most common signs of inhalation overexposure to ethanol, in animals, include ataxia, incoordination and drowsiness for those surviving narcosis. The narcotic dose for rats, after 2 hours of exposure, is 19260 ppm.
Limited evidence suggests that repeated or long-term occupational exposure may produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems. Prolonged exposure to ethanol may cause damage to the liver and cause scarring. It may also worsen damage caused by other agents. Large amounts of ethanol taken in pregnancy may result in "fetal alcohol syndrome", characterized by delay in mental and physical development, learning difficulties, behavioral problems and small head size. A small number of people develop allergic reactions to ethanol, which include eye infections, skin swelling, shortness of breath, and itchy rashes with blisters. Chronic solvent inhalation exposures may result in nervous system impairment and liver and blood changes. [PATTYS].