Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

WATTYL ELASTIC FINISH

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Used according to manufacturer' s directions. The use of a quantity of material in an
unventilated or confined space may result in increased exposure and an irritating
atmosphere developing.Before starting consider control of exposure by mechanical
ventilation.

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

Harmful if swallowed.
Limited evidence of a carcinogenic effect.
Possible risk of harm to the unborn child.
HARMFUL - May cause lung damage if swallowed.
Harmful: danger of serious damage to health by prolonged exposure through
inhalation.
Irritating to eyes and skin.
Flammable.
Vapors may cause dizziness or suffocation.
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.  Ingestion of petroleum hydrocarbons can irritate the pharynx, esophagus, stomach and small intestine, and cause swellings and ulcers of the mucous. Symptoms include a burning mouth and throat; larger amounts can cause nausea and vomiting, narcosis, weakness, dizziness, slow and shallow breathing, abdominal swelling, unconsciousness and convulsions. Damage to the heart muscle can produce heart beat irregularities, ventricular fibrillation (fatal) and ECG changes. The central nervous system can be depressed. Light species can cause a sharp tingling of the tongue and cause loss of sensation there. Aspiration can cause cough, gagging, pneumonia with swelling and bleeding.  Considered an unlikely route of entry in commercial/industrial environments. The liquid may produce gastrointestinal discomfort and may be harmful if swallowed. Ingestion may result in nausea, pain and vomiting. Vomit entering the lungs by aspiration may cause potentially lethal chemical pneumonitis.  

EYE

  There is some 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 redness. 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.  Workers exposed to fumes of blown bitumens developed keratoconjunctivitis.  The liquid may produce eye discomfort and is capable of causing temporary impairment of vision and/or transient eye inflammation, ulceration.  Direct eye contact with petroleum hydrocarbons can be painful, and the corneal epithelium may be temporarily damaged. Aromatic species can cause irritation and excessive tear secretion.  

SKIN

  Skin contact with the material may be harmful; systemic effects may resultfollowing absorption.  The material may cause moderate inflammation of the skin either following direct contact or after a delay of some time. Repeated exposure can cause contact dermatitis which is characterized by redness, swelling and blistering.  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.  The material may cause severe 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. Repeated exposures may produce severe ulceration.  Skin contact with alkaline corrosives may produce severe pain and burns; brownish stains may develop. The corroded area may be soft, gelatinous and necrotic; tissue destruction may be deep.  

INHALED

  Inhalation may produce health damage*.  Inhalation of aerosols (mists, fumes), generated by the material during the course of normal handling, may be harmful.  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.  Acute exposure to bitumen/ asphalt vapours may cause coughing, chest tightness, headache, muscle weakness, dizziness, tiredness, poor coordination, and even nausea and vomiting.  Workers exposed to hot blown bitumens show bronchitis, rhinitis, oropharyngitis and laryngitis; symptoms include cough, phlegm, burning of the throat and chest, hoarseness, headache and nasal discharge. Guinea pigs, rabbits and mice exposed to blown bitumen fumes, aerosols and smoke, developed patchy regions of emphysema, bronchiolar dilation, pneumonitis, and severe localised bronchitis.  Mice, exposed to aerosols of petroleum bitumens and smoke from heated petroleum bitumens, showed congestion, acute bronchitis, pneumonitis, bronchial dilation, abscess formation, epithelial atrophy, and necrosis.  In health studies in the workplace, environmental measurement showed concentrations of asphalt, ranging from "non-detectable", where there was good mechanical ventilation, to 40 mg/m3, where there was very poor natural draft. Breathing zone samples, collected during drum-filling operations, ranged from 1.0 (upwind) to 5 mg/m3 (downwind) as means of 4-hour exposures. In the opinion of industrial hygienists conducting these studies, work conditions were satisfactory where asphalt fumes were kept below     10 mg/m3.  If exposure to highly concentrated solvent atmosphere is prolonged this may lead to narcosis, unconsciousness, even coma and possible death.  

CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS

  Limited evidence suggests that repeated or long-term occupational exposure may produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems.  There has been concern that this material can cause cancer or mutations, but there is not enough data to make an assessment.  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.  Exposure to the material for prolonged periods may cause physical defects in the developing embryo (teratogenesis).  Constant or exposure over long periods to mixed hydrocarbons may produce stupor with dizziness, weakness and visual disturbance, weight loss and anemia, and reduced liver and kidney function. Skin exposure may result in drying and cracking and redness of the skin. Chronic exposure to lighter hydrocarbons can cause nerve damage, peripheral neuropathy, bone marrow dysfunction and psychiatric disorders as well as damage the liver and kidneys.  Chronic solvent inhalation exposures may result in nervous system impairment and liver and blood changes. [PATTYS].