N,N-Dimethylacetamide

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW Appearance colorless liquid. Flash Point 63 deg C Warning! May cause harm to the unborn child. Harmful if absorbed through skin or if inhaled. Causes respiratory tract irritation. Combustible liquid and vapor. Hygroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air). Target Organs: Central nervous system, liver, respiratory system, reproductive system.

Potential health effects

Eye: May cause eye irritation. Skin: May cause skin irritation. Harmful if absorbed through the skin. Ingestion: May cause gastrointestinal irritation with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. May cause liver damage. May cause central nervous system depression, characterized by excitement, followed by headache, dizziness, drowsiness, and nausea. Advanced stages may cause collapse, unconsciousness, coma and possible death due to respiratory failure. May cause auditory and visual hallucinations, disorientation, sweating, and weakness. Inhalation: Causes respiratory tract irritation. May cause effects similar to those described for ingestion. Inhalation at high concentrations may cause CNS depression and asphixiation. DMAC concentrations between 0 and 2 ppm, with occasional excursions between 11 and 34 ppm, in a polymer manufacturing operation caused dizziness, lethargy, and weakness. Chronic: Chronic ingestion may cause liver damage. May cause reproductive and fetal effects. Repeated dermal applications to dogs of DMAC at 4 mg/kg body weight for 6 weeks produced extensive fatty infiltration of liver tissue. Daily exposure of rats at 195 ppm DMAC for 6 months produced liver damage.