Methanol

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

OSHA Emergency Overview Appearance: Liquid, colourless WARNING! FLAMMABLE LIQUID AND VAPOR. MAY AFFECT THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM CAUSING DIZZINESS, HEADACHE OR NAUSEA. HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED. MAY CAUSE BLINDNESS. PROLONGED OR REPEATED CONTACT MAY DRY THE SKIN AND CAUSE IRRITATION AND BURNS. MAY BE HARMFUL IF INHALED.

Principle Routes of Exposure

Inhalation, skin absorption, skin contact, eye contact, ingestion Eye Contact: May cause mild eye irritation. Symptoms include stinging, tearing, and redness. Skin Contact: May cause mild skin irritation. Symptoms may include redness and burning of skin. Prolonged or repeated contact may dry the skin. Symptoms may include redness, burning, and drying and cracking of the skin, skin burns, and other skin damage. Ingestion: Swallowing this material may be harmful. Inhalation: Breathing of vapor or mist is possible. It is possible to breathe this material under certain conditions of handling and use (for example, during heating, spraying or stirring). Breathing small amounts of this material during normal handling is not likely to cause harmful effects. Breathing large amounts may be harmful.

Medical Conditions Generally Aggravated by Exposure

Preexisting disorders of the following organs may be aggravated by exposure to this material: skin, lung, liver, kidney, pancreas, heart, central nervous system. Exposure to this material may aggravate any preexisting condition sensitive to a decrease in available oxygen, such as chronic lung disease, coronary artery disease or anemias. Symptoms: Signs and symptoms of exposure to this material through breathing, swallowing, and/or passage of the material through the skin may include: stomach or intestinal upset (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea), irritation (nose, throat, airways), central nervous system depression (dizziness, drowsiness, weakness, fatigue, nausea, headache, unconsciousness), muscle cramps, pain in the abdomen and lower back, blurred vision, shortness of breath, cyanosis (causes blue coloring of the skin and nails from lack of oxygen), visual impairment (including blindness), coma. Target Organs: Exposure to lethal concentrations of methanol has been shown to cause damage to organs including the liver, kidneys, pancreas, heart, lungs and brain. Although this rarely occurs, survivors of severe intoxication may suffer from permanent neurological damage. Overexposure to this material (or its components) has been suggested as a cause of the following effects in laboratory animals: liver abnormalities, central nervous system damage. Overexposure to this material (or its components) has been suggested as a cause of the following effects in humans: visual impairment. Carcinogenicity: This material is not listed as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer