Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

HACH CUVER 2 COPPER REAGENT POWDER

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Indicator for copper.

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

Harmful if swallowed.
Irritating to eyes, respiratory system and skin.

POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS

ACUTE HEALTH EFFECTS

SWALLOWED

  There is some evidence to suggest that this material can cause, if swallowed once, irreversible damage of organs.  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.  Salts of tartaric acid (including Rochelle salt and Seidlitz powder) and the acid itself have all produced serious poisonings or fatalities in man. Gastrointestinal symptoms are marked and include violent vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and thirst followed by cardiovascular collapse and/or kidney failure.  Ingestion of sulfite salts may cause gastric irritation. Large doses may produce violent colic, diarrhea, circulatory disturbance, depression of vital functions and, sometimes, death.  

EYE

  This material can cause eye irritation and damage in some persons.  

SKIN

  This material can cause inflammation of the skin oncontact in some persons.  The material may accentuate any pre-existing dermatitis condition.  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 can cause respiratory irritation in some persons. The body's response to such irritation can cause further lung damage.  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.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  There has been some 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.  There is limited evidence that, skin contact with this product is more likely to cause a sensitization reaction in some persons compared to the general population.  There is some evidence that human exposure to the material may result in developmental toxicity. This evidence is based on animal studies where effects have been observed in the absence of marked maternal toxicity, or at around the same dose levels as other toxic effects but which are not secondary non-specific consequences of the other toxic effects.  Chronic intoxication with ionic bromides, historically, has resulted from medical use of bromides but not from environmental or occupational exposure; depression, hallucinosis, and schizophreniform psychosis can be seen in the absence of other signs of intoxication. Bromides may also induce sedation, irritability, agitation, delirium, memory loss, confusion, disorientation, forgetfulness (aphasias), dysarthria, weakness, fatigue, vertigo, stupor, coma, decreased appetite, nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea, hallucinations,  an acne like rash on the face, legs and trunk, known as bronchoderma (seen in 25-30% of case involving bromide ion), and a profuse discharge from the nostrils (coryza). Ataxia and generalised hyperreflexia have also been observed. Correlation of neurologic symptoms with blood levels of bromide is inexact. The use of substances such as brompheniramine, as antihistamines, largely reflect current day usage of bromides; ionic bromides have been largely withdrawn from therapeutic use due to their toxicity. Several cases of foetal abnormalities have been described in mothers who took large doses of bromides during pregnancy.  Chelates are occasionally used in therapies for various forms of poisoning. A systemic reaction known as the "excessive chelation syndrome" consists mainly of general unwellness, fatigue, thirst, followed by chills and fever. Muscle ache, headache, loss of appetite, nausea and occasionally increased urinary urgency and frequency may occur, as may cold-like symptoms.  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.  Sulfites and bisulfites can cause narrowing of the airways, stomach upset, flushing, low blood pressure. tingling sensation, itchy wheal, swelling and shock, and asthmatics are especially prone. They induce allergic-like reactions which can occur on first contact with the material.  Repeated exposure of animals to airborne sulfur dioxide (SO2) can produce a thickening of the mucous layer in the trachea and an increase in goblet cells and mucous glands similar to pathological changes found in chronic human bronchitis.  Chronic exposure to sulfur dioxide (SO2) particulate complexes, present in polluted air, have been associated with the aggravation of chronic cardiovascular diseases such as asthma, chronic pulmonary disease, and coronary artery disease (this may occur at levels of 6-10 ug/m3 for 24 hours), An association exists between persistent cough and sputum production, particularly in women and non-smokers. A 10-year follow study on workers exposed to a mean sulfur dioxide concentration of up to 33 ppm did not reveal an increased prevalence of chronic respiratory disease or decreased pulmonary function.  By contrast, studies of smelter workers, exposed to concentrations below 2 ppm, suggest that chronic respiratory disease may develop and that workers exposed at concentrations exceeding 1 ppm show accelerated loss of pulmonary function.  Although SO2 is not a carcinogen, the apparent increases in mortalities amongst arsenic-  exposed smelter workers was greater when exposures included both high arsenic concentrations and moderate to high SO2 exposures, suggesting that SO2 might act as a promoter.  Intermittent exposure of rats to benz[a]pyrene along with inhalation of SO2 at 4-10 ppm, 1-6 hours per day, 5 days per week, produced substantial increases in respiratory tract squamous cell carcinomas compared to that associated with exposure to B[a]P or SO2 alone.