Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

WALKER CERAMICS COBALT OXIDE (72% COBALT)

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Used in ceramics and pottery.

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

Harmful if swallowed.
May cause SENSITIZATION by skin contact.
Limited evidence of a carcinogenic effect.
Very toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long- term adverse effects in the
aquatic environment.

POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS

ACUTE HEALTH EFFECTS

SWALLOWED

  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.  In toxic doses soluble cobalt salts produce stomach pain and vomiting, flushing of the face and ears, rash, ringing in the ears, nervous deafness and reduced blood flow to the extremities.  

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

  Skin contact is not thought to produce harmful health effects (as classified using animal models). Systemic harm, however, has been identified following exposure of animals by at least one other route and the material may still produce health damage following entry through wounds, lesions or abrasions. 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

  The material is not thought to produce respiratory irritation (as classified using animal models). Nevertheless inhalation of dusts, or fume, especially for prolonged periods, may produce respiratory discomfort and occasionally, distress.  Cobalt poisoning can cause inflammation of the terminal airways (bronchioles), and cause lethargy and death within hours.  Health hazards from welding fume containing cobalt are not well documented but there are well-known dangers associated with the processing of the substance by other techniques. Inhalation of the fume may result in shortness of breath, coughing and pneumonitis. Hypersensitivity, involving lung changes, occurs in a small number of workers exposed to the fume; the symptoms disappear after exposure ends. Obliterative bronchiolitis adenomatosis has been produced in guinea pigs receiving intratracheal injections of 10 mg cobalt dust. Intratracheal administration of 12.5 mg/kg caused lethargy and death in rats in 15 minutes to 6 hours.  

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.  Skin contact with the material is more likely to cause a sensitization reaction in some persons compared to the general population.  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.  Inhalation of cobalt powder can induce asthma, chest tightness and chronic inflammation of the bronchi. Chronic exposure to cobalt causes increase in blood hemoglobin, increased production of cells in the blood marrow and thyroid gland, discharge from around the heart and damage to the alpha cells of the pancreas. Long-term administration has caused goiter (overactivity of the thyroid) and reduced thyroid activity. Allergic inflammation of the skin may appear following exposure to cobalt, usually exhibited as red patches. Injection of cobalt can cause cancer at the site of entry.