Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

X-ERGON XL GOLD DUPLEX ALLOY ELECTRODE

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Used according to manufacturer' s directions.

SYNONYMS

"welding wire", "Duplecks (misspelling)"

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

May cause SENSITIZATION by skin contact.
Limited evidence of a carcinogenic effect.

POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS

ACUTE HEALTH EFFECTS

SWALLOWED

  The material has NOT been classified as "harmful by ingestion". This is because of the lack of corroborating animal or human evidence. 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, unintentional ingestion is not thought to be cause for concern.  

EYE

  There is some evidence to suggest that this material can causeeye irritation and damage in some persons.  Contact with the eye, by metal dusts, may produce mechanical abrasion or foreign body penetration of the eyeball. Iron particles embedded in the eye may produce a condition known as ocular siderosis; effects include discolouration of the cornea and iris and pupillary effects such as poor reaction to light and accommodation. Particles entering the lens may produce cataracts. A rare consequence of ocular siderosis is glaucoma.  

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.  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

  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.  Regular exposure to nickel fume, as the oxide, may result in "metal fume fever" a sometimes debilitating upper respiratory tract condition resembling influenza.  Symptoms include malaise, fever, weakness, nausea and may appear quickly if operations occur in closed or poorly ventilated areas. Pulmonary edema, pulmonary fibrosis and asthma has been reported in welders using nickel alloys; level of exposure are generally not available and case reports are often confounded by mixed exposures to other agents.  Inhalation of freshly formed metal oxide particles sized below 1.5 microns and generally between 0.02 to 0.05 microns may result in "metal fume fever". Symptoms may be delayed for up to 12 hours and begin with the sudden onset of thirst, and a sweet, metallic or foul taste in the mouth. Other symptoms include upper respiratory tract irritation accompanied by coughing and a dryness of the mucous membranes, lassitude and a generalized feeling of malaise. Mild to severe headache, nausea, occasional vomiting, fever or chills, exaggerated mental activity, profuse sweating, diarrhea, excessive urination and prostration may also occur. Tolerance to the fumes develops rapidly, but is quickly lost. All symptoms usually subside within 24-36 hours following removal from exposure.  Effects on lungs are significantly enhanced in the presence of respirableparticles.  Nitrogen oxides (NOx) may present a hazard after a single exposure; severe exposures may be lethal. Inhalation symptoms may not be felt until hours or days following exposure, even though extensive pulmonary damage may have occurred. The typical reaction to nitrous fume is delayed and insidious because the oxides are largely absorbed by and react with alveolar structures and terminal respiratory bronchii. The upper respiratory tract is largely spared because the gas has relatively low solubility in mucous fluids. Warning properties of the gas, as a result, are largely absent.The pattern of response to nitrogen oxide exposure typically consists of three phases. Initially, there is a mild irritation of the upper respiratory tract with symptomatic cough, sore throat, conjunctivitis, dyspnoea, headache, vertigo, brief nausea and less commonly, rhinitis, somnolence, loss of consciousness, and chest tightness. Other symptoms of exposure to nitrogen oxides include dizziness, vomiting and fatigue.Mild exposures generally does not result in symptoms persisting for more than a few hours. Heavier exposures produce a suite of effects. After a latent period of 3 to 30 hours, patients may develop pulmonary oedema, with chills, fever, tachypnoea, tachycardia, haemoptysis, dyspnoea, wheezing, cyanosis, circulatory system effects, severe haemoconcentration, and rales. These may result in acute respiratory failure. Anoxia may also develop. About 50% of individuals surviving pulmonary oedema may show a late developing complication involving fibrotic destruction of terminal bronchioles (bronchiolitis obliterans) within 10-42 days. Symptoms may include coughing, wheezing, cyanosis, and progressive dyspnoea. Methaemoglobinaemia and hypotension may be complicating factors. Bronchial infection and pulmonary fibrosis may complicate recovery.High concentrations may lead to acute respiratory difficulty with uncontrollable coughing, cyanosis, throat pains, convulsions and acute circulatory insufficiency. Interstitial oedema, epithelial proliferation, fibrosis and emphysema may develop. Death may result from delayed pulmonary oedema with initial symptoms comprising no more than mild irritation of the respiratory tract and eyes. Only very high vapour concentrations induce prompt or immediate symptoms except perhaps for slight or transient cough, mild fatigue and brief nausea. Slowly evolving but progressive inflammation of the lungs may arise 5-72 hours following heavy exposure. This results in profuse exudation into alveolar spaces. Fluid loss from the blood may produce massive pulmonary oedema. Because of impaired gas exchange, breathing becomes rapid and cyanosis intense. Death may result from asphyxia.Because of its poor water solubility, nitrogen dioxide is potentially an irritating gas but few reports of ocular or upper respiratory tract effects are available. Irritant action results from the formation of nitric acid in the presence of water. Nitric acid is destructive to respiratory epithelium and alveolar membranes and may produce metabolic acidosis. The poor initial irritant effects allow widespread dissemination of nitrogen oxides throughout the lungs and a diffuse, delayed inflammation. Nitrogen dioxide decomposition may also produce nitrates, which in turn may produce vasodilation and methaemoglobin. Animals exposed to 70 ppm for 8 hours developed periorbital oedema and corneal opacities.  Occupational exposure to nitrogen oxides results in a condition identified as "Silo Filler's Disease". Most individuals exhibit symptoms resembling influenza (fever, chills, cough, chest pain and dyspnoea). Although recovery is generally complete, the symptoms in some individuals may progress to adult respiratory distress syndrome and/ or subsequent bronchiolitis obliterans.Inhalation of significant levels of nitrogen oxides may adversely affect the functions of the adrenal cortex. Adrenal dysfunction leads to significant and deleterious changes in electrolytes and carbohydrate metabolism leading to circulatory collapse, hypoglycaemic coma and death.Cardiovascular effects have also been noted amongst patients receiving nitric oxide donators (e.g nitroglycerin, isosorbide mononitrate and pentaerythritol) for hypertension and heart disease. These drugs often produce a catastrophic drop in systemic blood pressure (due to vasodilation) producing a continuum of symptoms ranging from mild dizziness or light-headedness, fainting upon standing, or even a heart attack or stroke.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  There has been concern that this material can cause cancer or mutations, but there is not enough data to make an assessment.  

  Limited evidence suggests that repeated or long-term occupational exposure may produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems.  There is some evidence that inhaling this product is more likely to cause a sensitization reaction in some persons compared to the general population.  Skin contact with the material is more likely to cause a sensitization reaction in some persons compared to the general population.  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.  Metallic dusts generated by the industrial process give rise to a number of potential health problems. The larger particles, above 5 micron, are nose and throat irritants. Smaller particles however, may cause lung deterioration. Particles of less than 1.5 micron can be trapped in the lungs and, dependent on the nature of the particle, may give rise to further serious health consequences.  Nickel dusts, fumes and salts are potent contact allergens and sensitizers producing a dermatitis known as "nickel" rash.  In the absence of properly designed ventilation systems or where respiratory protective devises are inadequate, up to 10% of exposed workers are expected to be symptomatic.  Manganese is an essential trace element. Chronic exposure to low levels of manganese can include a mask-like facial expression, spastic gait, tremors, slurred speech, disordered muscle tone, fatigue, anorexia, loss of strength and energy, apathy and poor concentration.