Section 1 - CHEMICAL PRODUCT AND COMPANY IDENTIFICATION

PRODUCT NAME

HEXACHLOROBENZENE

NFPA

PRODUCT USE

Use as fungicide seed dressing was discontinued in 1970' s because of adverse health and
environmental effects. Other discontinued uses are aluminium flux, timber treatment,
manufacture of graphite anodes, rubber industry. Intermediate

SYNONYMS

C6-Cl6, "benzene, hexachloro-", Amatin, Anticarie, Bunt-cure, Bunt-No-More, "Ceku CB",
"Co-Op Hexa", Esaclorobenzene, "Granox NM", HCB, "Hexa CB", hexachlorobenzol, "Julin's
carbon chloride", "No Bunt 40, 80, liquid", "pentachlorophenyl chloride", "phenyl
perchloryl", perchlorobenzene, Sanocide, Smut-go, Sniecotox, "fungicide pesticide"

Section 2 - HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION

CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS

None

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW

RISK

May cause CANCER.
Toxic: danger of serious damage to health by prolonged exposure if swallowed.
Very toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long- term adverse effects in the
aquatic environment.

POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS

ACUTE HEALTH EFFECTS

SWALLOWED

  Although ingestion is not thought to produce harmful effects, 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, ingestion of insignificant quantities is not thought to be cause for concern.  Organochlorine pesticides excite the central nervous system, causing shortness of breath, cough, narrowing of airways and throat spasms. In the muscles it can cause twitches, spastic movements and seizures. Headache, dizziness and confusion may result as well as a feeling of warmth. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and difficulty in urination. There may be alterations in blood pressure or irregularities in heart rhythm. Delayed poisoning may occur after 30 minutes to several hours. Symptoms may include diarrhea, stomach pain, headache, dizziness, inco-ordination, "pins and needles", restlessness, irritability, confusion and tremors, progressing to stupor, coma and epilepsy-like or spastic seizures with frothing at the mouth, a contorted face, violent convulsions and limb stiffness. Tremors may spread from the face to the torso and limbs. Severe poisoning may cause continuous convulsion, fever, unconsciousness, labored breathing, rapid heartbeat and general depression; this is followed by lack of oxygen, collapse of breathing, and death. Kidney damage and inflammation and anemia has also been reported.  

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 with the material may damage the health of the individual; systemic effects may result following absorption.  There is some evidence to suggest that this material can cause inflammation of the skin on contact in some persons.  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.  Exposure to the material may result in a skin inflammation called chloracne. This is characterized by white- and blackheads, keratin cysts, spots, excessive discoloration. These mainly involve the skin under the eyes and behind the ears. The reaction may be delayed. There may also be excess hair growth, degeneration of elastic tissue as a result of sunlight, and scarring of the membrane of the penis.  This material is a photosensitizer. Certain individuals working with this substance may show allergic reaction of the skin under sunlight. This results in sensitivity to sunburn (may be severe) unless protective covering and 15+PF sunscreen are used. Responses may vary from sunburn-like effects to swelling and blistering lesions.  

INHALED

  Inhalation may produce health damage*.  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.  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.  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

  Toxic: danger of serious damage to health by prolonged exposure if swallowed.  Toxic: danger of serious damage to health by prolonged exposure if swallowed.  This material can cause serious damage if one is exposed to it for long periods. It can be assumed that it contains a substance which can produce severe defects. This has been demonstrated via both short- and long-term experimentation.  Limited evidence suggests that repeated or long-term occupational exposure may produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems.  Hexachlorobenzene is a toxic organochlorine that has been shown to cause death, systemic (e.g., liver, skin, bone, and thyroid), neurological, developmental, endocrine, and immunological toxicity in humans. Animal studies have demonstrated that hexachlorobenzene causes reproductive toxicity and increases the risk for cancer formation. The most sensitive target organs for hexachlorobenzene are the liver, ovary, and central nervous system. Exposure to hexachlorobenzene (primarily airborne) pollution has been linked with elevated blood levels of hexachlorobenzene and hepatic effects (increased porphyrins and hepatic enzymes), thyroid effects (decreased thyroxine levels; weakly with hypothyroidism,  goiter, and thyroid cancer), and impaired development of locomotor skills in infants.  Chronic exposures to the substance have been reported amongst Turkish villagers who ingested HCB treated grains for two years. Major persisting clinical symptoms included generalised hyperpigmentation, marked scarring over areas that had been previously photosensitised, thickened and tightened skin, hypertrichosis (excessive hair-growth), colic, weakness, parethesias, arthritic changes and sensory shading. Thirty percent developed thyroid adenomas (growths). Infants and the developing young developed small hands and diminished stature at puberty. Foetal and postnatal deaths were also apparent. Nursing babies showed a high incidence of toxic reactions known as "pink-sore" (kara yara - also known as "black-sore") which was almost universally fatal. This disease may be in part the result of contamination of HCB by highly toxic polychlorinated dibenzodioxins. Porphyrinuria (presence in the urine of porphyrins in excess amounts) occurs in both animals and man following exposure and high levels of porphyrin, through the body, result in photosensitisation. Rats and monkeys exhibit extensive liver damage with the extent of damage more marked amongst rats given prior injection of iron. Contaminating PCBs may produce a range of health problems.  Because hexachlorobenzene produces porphyria, it is noteworthy that several human studies have associated porphyria with the increased incidence of liver cancer. Several animal studies have demonstrated that oral exposure to hexachlorobenzene increases the incidence of tumor formation. The evidence of carcinogenicity is strongest in the liver; hexachlorobenzene has been shown to induce hyperplasia (in rats, mice, pigs, dogs, and monkeys), metaplasia (in rats), benign tumors (hepatoma in mice and rats; hemagniohepatoma and bile duct adenoma in rats), and malignant tumors (hepatocarcinoma in rats, mice, and hamsters; bile duct adenocarcinoma in rats). Additionally, exposure to hexachlorobenzene has been shown to induce renal metaplasia, adenomas and renal cell carcinomas (in rats, mice, and hamsters); lymphosarcomas (in rats, mice, and hamsters); adrenal hyperplasia and pheochromocytoma (in rats); parathyroid adenomas (in rats); and hemangioendothelioma and thyroid tumors (in hamsters).