Ferric chloride solutions, 10 - 40% W/V

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

Emergency Overview Appearance: Dark amber Danger! Corrosive. Causes severe eye and skin burns. Causes severe digestive and respiratory tract burns. Target Organs: None known.

Potential health effects

Eye: Vapors are irritating to the eye, liquid contact may result in clouding of the cornea, erosion, up to total corneal opacification and loss of the eye. Skin: May cause severe burns and ulceration. Skin may turn brown-yellow. Deep burns are slow to heal and scarring may occur. Ingestion: Causes severe digestive tract burns with abdominal pain, vomiting, and possible death. May cause corrosion and permanent tissue destruction of the esophagus and digestive tract. Ingestion can result - 1 - in abdominal pain, vomiting with blood, diarrhea, dehydration, shock, pallor, cyanosis, hypothermia, acidosis, coagulation defects, respiratory and cardiac involvement, vasomotor instability leading to coma and death. Survivors may develop reversible liver damage, gastric scarring and pyloric obstruction. Inhalation: May cause irritation of the respiratory tract with burning pain in the nose and throat, coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and pulmonary edema. May cause severe irritation of the respiratory tract with sore throat, coughing, shortness of breath and delayed lung edema. Palpitation, inflammation, edema of the larynx and bronchi, chemical pneumonitis and pulmonary edema may result from inhalation exposure. Chronic: Chronic exposure may result in dental erosion, jaw necrosis, respiratory disease, dermatitis, conjunctivitis, corneal scarring and fever. Repeated ingestion may cause hemosiderosis, possible liver and pancreatic damage.