MCPA Ester 500 LV Liquid Herbicide

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW: WARNING-POISON. Keep out of reach of children. Combustible. Avoid contact with skin, eyes and clothing. Do not inhale fumes. May cause eye and skin irritation. Harmful if absorbed through the skin. Harmful if inhaled. Harmful if swallowed. EFFECTS OF ACUTE EXPOSURE: INGESTION: Harmful if swallowed. May cause headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, gastrointestinal irritation, weakness and central nervous system depression. Hydrocarbon component may cause dizziness, weakness, nausea, headache, unconsciousness, respiratory, or in extreme cases, death. SKIN CONTACT: Causes moderate skin irritation. Overexposure by skin absorption may cause symptoms similar to those for ingestion. May cause allergic reaction in sensitive individuals. INHALATION: Contains materials that may be moderately toxic. Vapours could cause headache, dizziness, respiratory irritation and symptoms similar to those from ingestion. Hydrocarbon component may cause upper respiratory tract irritation, dizziness, weakness, nausea, headache, unconsciousness, respiratory failure, or in extreme cases, death. EYE CONTACT: May cause at least moderate eye irritation.

Medical Conditions Generally Aggravated by Exposure

Skin exposure may aggravate preexisting skin conditions. Inhalation of mist may aggravate preexisting respiratory conditions. SUBCHRONIC (TARGET ORGAN) EFFECTS (An adverse effect with symptoms that develop slowly over a long period of time) Repeated overexposure may cause effects to liver, kidneys, blood chemistry, testes and gross motor function. Rare cases of peripheral nerve damage have been reported, but extensive animal studies have failed to substantiate these observations, even at high doses of MCPA for prolonged periods. CHRONIC EFFECTS/CARCINOGENICITY: The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) lists exposure to chlorophenoxy herbicides as a class 2B carcinogen, the category for limited evidence for carcinogenicity in humans. Newer MCPA lifetime feeding studies in rats and mice did not show carcinogenic potential. Products similar to the hydrocarbon component have produced weak to moderate positive results in mouse skin cancer studies. REPRODUCTIVE TOXICITY: Testicular effects and lower male fertility have been noted in animal studies. DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY: MCPA studies in laboratory animals have shown decreased fetal body weights and delayed development in the offspring at doses toxic to mother animals. Products similar to the hydrocarbon component have given negative results (no effect) in rat studies. GENOTOXICTY: There have been some positive and some negative studies, but the weight of evidence is that MCPA is not mutagenic. Products similar to the hydrocarbon component have given mixed and inconsistent results in mutagenicity studies.

Principle Routes of Exposure

Eye contact. Skin absorption. Inhalation. Oral TOXICOLOGICALLY SYNERGISTIC MATERIALS: None known. OTHER: None known.