Glyoxal 40% Aqueous Solution

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW Appearance: light yellow liquid. Warning! Causes respiratory tract irritation. Harmful if inhaled. Causes eye and skin irritation. May cause allergic skin reaction. Do not freeze. Target Organs: Respiratory system, eyes, skin.

Potential health effects

Eye: Causes eye irritation. Skin: Causes skin irritation. May cause skin sensitization, an allergic reaction, which becomes evident upon re-exposure to this material. In a human maximization test for contact allergens, glyoxal rated 5 on a scale of 1 to 5. The induction concentration was 10% glyoxal and the challenge concentration was 2% glyoxal. Glyoxal is considered to be a strong human contact sensitizer. Ingestion: May cause gastrointestinal irritation with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Inhalation: Vapor or mist is irritating to the mucous membranes and upper respiratory tract. Squamous cell metaplasia was observed in the rat larynx after 29 days of exposure (6 hours/day, 5 days/week) to 2 and 10 mg/m3 of a 40% glyoxal aerosol. Chronic: Prolonged or repeated skin contact may cause dermatitis. There is insufficient data to classify glyoxal as a human or animal carcinogen. Glyoxal was found to promote stomach carcinoma in animals in one study and to be a direct-acting mutagen in bacterial and mammalian cell assays in extensive testing. NIOSH has noted the similarity of its mutagenic profile to formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and malonaldehyde and has advised concern regarding its carcinogenic potential.