Propane

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

OSHA Emergency Overview DANGER! Flammable liquid and gas under pressure. Can form explosive mixtures with air. May cause frostbite. Can cause rapid suffocation. May cause dizziness and drowsiness. Self-contained breathing apparatus may be required by rescue workers. Odour: Faintly disagreeable.

Principle Routes of Exposure

Inhalation. Skin contact. Eye contact. EFFECTS OF A SINGLE (ACUTE) OVEREXPOSURE: INHALATION: Asphyxiant. Effects are due to lack of oxygen. Moderate concentrations may cause headaches, drowsiness, dizziness, excitation, excess salivation, vomiting, and unconciousness. Lack of oxygen can kill. SKIN CONTACT: No harm expected from vapour. Liquid may cause frostbite. SKIN ABSORPTION: No evidence of adverse effects from available information. SWALLOWING: This product is a gas at normal temperature and pressure. Frostbite of the lips and mouth may result from contact with liquid. EYE CONTACT: No harm expected from vapour. Liquid may cause frostbite. EFFECTS OF REPEATED (CHRONIC) OVEREXPOSURE: No evidence of adverse effects from available information. WORKING WITH WELDING AND CUTTING MAY CREATE ADDITIONAL HEALTH HAZARDS. FUMES AND GASES can be dangerous to your health and may cause serious lung disease.* Keep your head out of the fumes. Do not breathe fumes and gases caused by the process. Use enough ventilation, local exhaust, or both to keep fumes and gases from your breathing zone and the general area. The type and amount of fumes and gases depend on the equipment and supplies used. Possibly dangerous materials may be found in fluxes, coatings, gases, metals etc. Get a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for every material used. Air samples can be used to find out what respiratory protection is needed. Short term overexposure to fumes may result in discomfort such as dizziness, nausea, or dryness or irritation of nose, throat, or eyes. OTHER EFFECTS OF OVEREXPOSURE: Contact with liquid may cause frostbite. At very high concentrations may produce cardiac arrhythmia or arrest due to sensitization of the heart to adrenalin and nor-adrenalin. Exposure to fluorocarbon thermal decomposition products may produce flu-like symptoms including chills, fever, weakness, muscular aches, headache, chest discomfort, sore throat, and dry cough. Complete recovery usually occurs within 24 hours after exposure.

Medical Conditions Generally Aggravated by Exposure

OVEREXPOSURE A knowledge of the available toxicology information and of the physical and chemical properties of the material suggests that overexposure is unlikely to aggravate existing medical conditions. SIGNIFICANT LABORATORY DATA WITH POSSIBLE RELEVANCE TO HUMAN HEALTH HAZARD EVALUATION: In a study conducted in 1948, dogs breathed varying mixtures of hydrocarbons and oxygen for 10 minutes. Of a group of dogs exposed to propane, all (3 of 3) showed myocardial sensitivity to injected epinephrine hydrochloride as determined by electrocardiogram (EKG) readings. No direct evidence is known of propane-induced cardiac sensitization in humans. CARCINOGENICITY: Not listed as carcinogen by OSHA, NTP or IARC.