nonylphenol, ethoxylated

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

CHEMWATCH HAZARD RATINGS Flammability Toxicity Body Contact Reactivity Chronic SCALE: Min/Nil=0 Low=1 Moderate=2High=3Extreme=4 RISK SAFETY • Harmful if swallowed. • Do not breathe gas/fumes/vapour/spray. • Irritating to skin. • Avoid exposure - obtain special instructions before use. • To clean the floor and all objects contaminated • Risk of serious damage to eyes. by this material use water. • This material and its container must be disposed • Toxic to aquatic organisms may cause long- of in a safe way. term adverse effects in the aquatic environment. • Repeated exposure may cause skin dryness and • Keep away from food drink and animal feeding cracking. stuffs. • Cumulative effects may result following • If swallowed IMMEDIATELY contact Doctor or exposure*. Poisons Information Centre. (show this container or label). • May possibly affect fertility*. • Use appropriate container to avoid environmental contamination. • Avoid release to the environment. Refer to * (limited evidence). special instructions/Safety data sheets. • This material and its container must be disposed of as hazardous waste.

Potential 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. • Nonionic surfactants may produce localised irritation of the oral or gastrointestinal mucosa and induce vomiting and mild diarrhoea. EYE • When applied to the eye(s) of animals, the material produces severe ocular lesions which are present twenty- four hours or more after instillation. • Some nonionic surfactants may produce a localised anaesthetic effect on the cornea; this may effectively eliminate the warning discomfort produced by other substances and lead to corneal injury. Irritant effects range from minimal to severe dependent on the nature of the surfactant, its concentration and the duration of contact. Pain and corneal damage represent the most severe manifestation of irritation. SKIN • The material produces mild skin irritation; evidence exists, or practical experience predicts, that the material either · produces mild inflammation of the skin in a substantial number of individuals following direct contact, and/or · produces significant, but mild, inflammation when applied to the healthy intact skin of animals (for up to four hours), such inflammation being present twenty-four hours or more after the end of the exposure period. Skin irritation may also be present after prolonged or repeated exposure; this may result in a form of contact dermatitis (nonallergic). The dermatitis is often characterised by skin redness (erythema) and swelling (oedema) which may progress to blistering (vesiculation), scaling and thickening of the epidermis. At the microscopic level there may be intercellular oedema of the spongy layer of the skin (spongiosis) and intracellular oedema of the epidermis. • Repeated exposure may cause skin cracking, flaking or drying following normal handling and use. • Open cuts, abraded or irritated skin should not be exposed to this material. • Entry into the blood-stream through, for example, cuts, abrasions, puncture wounds 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. INHALED • The material is not thought to produce either adverse health effects or irritation of the respiratory tract following inhalation (as classified by EC Directives using animal models). Nevertheless, adverse systemic effects have been produced following exposure of animals by at least one other route and good hygiene practice requires that exposure be kept to a minimum and that suitable control measures be used in an occupational setting.

Potential chronic health

Prolonged or repeated skin contact may cause drying with cracking, irritation and possible dermatitis following. Substance accumulation, in the human body, may occur and may cause some concern following repeated or long-term occupational exposure. Based on experience with similar materials, there is a possibility that exposure to the material may reduce fertility in humans at levels which do not cause other toxic effects. Prolonged or repeated skin contact may cause degreasing with drying, cracking and dermatitis following. Exposure to alkyl phenolicsis associated with reduced sperm count andfertility in males.