Geneticin (G418) Sulfate

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

CHEMWATCH HAZARD RATINGS Min Max Flammability: 1 Toxicity: 2 Body Contact: 2 Min/Nil=0 Low=1 Reactivity: 1 CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS 1 of 6 EMERGENCY OVERVIEW RISK May cause SENSITISATION by inhalation and skin contact. May impair fertility. May cause harm to the unborn child. Harmful by inhalation, in contact with skin and if swallowed. Irritating to eyes, respiratory system and skin.

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. May cause irreversible, partial or total deafness when aminoglycoside antibiotics are given by injection, by mouth or when applied as an aerosol to open wounds, or damaged skin. Effects are dose related. Large doses may cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Prolonged oral therapy may cause malabsorption syndrome with steatorrhoea and diarrhoea which may be severe. Supra-infection may occur. Neuromuscular blockade and respiratory depression and arrest may follow intraperitoneal injection. EYE This material can cause eye irritation and damage in some persons. SKIN Skin contact with the material may be harmful; systemic effects may resultfollowing absorption. This material can cause inflammation of the skin oncontact in some persons. The material may accentuate any pre-existing dermatitis condition. Open cuts, abraded or irritated skin should not be exposed to this material. Entry into the blood-stream, through, for example, cuts, abrasions 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 Inhalation of dusts, generated by the material, during the course of normalhandling, may be harmful. The material can cause respiratory irritation in some persons. The body's response to such irritation can cause further lung damage. Persons with impaired respiratory function, airway diseases and conditions such as emphysema or chronic bronchitis, may incur further disability if excessive concentrations of particulate are inhaled.

Potential chronic health

Long-term exposure to respiratory irritants may result in disease of the airways involving difficult breathing and related systemic problems. Inhaling this product is more likely to cause a sensitization reaction in some persons compared to the general population. Skin contact with the material is more likely to cause a sensitization reaction in some persons compared to the general population. Ample evidence exists from experimentation that reduced human fertility is directly caused by exposure to the material. Ample evidence exists, from results in experimentation, that developmental disorders are directly caused by human exposure to the material. Limited evidence suggests that repeated or long-term occupational exposure may produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems. Long-term exposure to aminoglycoside antibiotics (such as gentamicin) can damage the kidneys and malabsorption with a fatty, foul-smelling diarrhea. In some patients, there may be hearing loss and damage to the balancing system, after topical application or injection. <\p>. The inhibitory effects of the aminoglycoside antibiotics on calcium ion homeostasis in peripheral neurones, vascular smooth muscle and the myocardium are thought to be the cause of disruption to haemodynamic control mechanisms. Therefore the adverse effect of aminoglycosides on blood circulation does not seem to be due to cytotoxic damage of cardiovascular tissues but is related to a reversible interaction with calcium ion binding sites of excitable membranes. Many of the biological actions of aminoglycosides in mammals, including cellular damage of the kidney an inner ear tissues, are also associated with disturbance of membrane phospholipids where calcium ion is normally distributed. Kerzee, J. Kevin et al: Cardiovascular Toxicology, Part 7, Third Edition; Edited Daniel Acosta Jr.; Published Taylor and Francis 2001.