Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

VAN WATERS ALUMINUM PHOSPHIDE PHOSTOXIN

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Dangerous POISON. Available ONLY for industrial and manufacturing purposes. To be used by
or in accordance with directions of accredited pest control officers. Operators to be
trained in procedures for safe use of material. · Keep dry. Used as an insecticidal
fumigant, also for outdoor use in controlling burrowing rodents. Reacts with the moisture
in air to produce phosphine, an effective pest killing gas.

SYNONYMS

pesticide, fumigant

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

Very toxic if swallowed.
Contact with acids liberates very toxic gas.
Very toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long- term adverse effects in the
aquatic environment.

POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS

ACUTE HEALTH EFFECTS

SWALLOWED

  Severely toxic effects may result from the accidental ingestion of the material; animal experiments indicate that ingestion of less than 5 gram may be fatal or may produce serious damage to the health of the individual.  Not normally a hazard due to physical form of product.  Considered an unlikely route of entry in commercial/industrial environments.  Large doses of ammonia or injected ammonium salts may produce diarrhea and may be sufficiently absorbed to produce increased production of urine and systemic poisoning. Symptoms include weakening of facial muscle, tremor, anxiety, reduced muscle and limb control.  

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.  The material is not thought to be a skin irritant (as classified using animal models). Abrasive damage however, may result from prolonged exposures. Good hygiene practice requires that exposure be kept to a minimum and that suitable gloves be used in an occupational setting.  Reactions may not occur on exposure but response may be delayed with symptoms only appearing many hours later.  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 adverse health effects or irritation of the respiratory tract (as classified using animal models). Nevertheless, good hygiene practice requires that exposure be kept to a minimum and that suitable control measures be used in an occupational setting.  Inhalation of dusts, generated by the material during the course of normal handling, may produce severe damage to the health of the individual. Relatively small amounts absorbed from the lungs may prove fatal.  Inhalation of vapours may cause drowsiness and dizziness. This may be accompanied by narcosis, reduced alertness, loss of reflexes, lack of coordination and vertigo.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  Principal routes of exposure are by accidental skin and eye contact andinhalation of generated dusts.  The effects of exposure are typical of those resulting due to exposure to  phosphine gas.  Chronic phosphine poisoning is said to resemble chronic phosphorus  poisonings which produces stomach pains, vomiting and diarrhoea.  Chronic ingestion may produce systemic poisoning characterised by cachexia  (general ill-health and malnutrition), anaemia, bronchitis, and necrosis  of the mandible, the so-called "phoss" or "Lucifer's" jaw. Other bones may  also be involved as demonstrated by chronic systemic administration to  animals which produces dense growth lines in all extremities proximal to  the epiphyses (phosphoschicht).