(-)--Pinene

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

CHEMWATCH HAZARD RATINGS Min Max Flammability: 2 Toxicity: 2 Body Contact: 2 Min/Nil=0 Low=1 Reactivity: 2 Moderate=2 High=3 Chronic: 2 Extreme=4 CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS EMERGENCY OVERVIEW RISK Irritating to skin. May cause SENSITISATION by skin contact. HARMFUL - May cause lung damage if swallowed. Flammable. Vapours may cause drowsiness and dizziness. Very toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long-term adverse effects in the aquatic environment.

Potential Acute Health Effects

SWALLOWED Swallowing of the liquid may cause aspiration into the lungs with the risk of chemical pneumonitis; serious consequences may result. (ICSC13733). Accidental ingestion of the material may be damaging to the health of the individual. Terpenes and their oxygen-containing counterparts, the terpenoids, produce a variety of physiological effects. Pine oil monoterpenes, for example, produce a haemorrhagic gastritis characterised by stomach pain and bleeding and vomiting. Considered an unlikely route of entry in commercial/industrial environments. The liquid may produce gastrointestinal discomfort and may be harmful if swallowed. EYE Although the liquid is not thought to be an irritant, direct contact with the eye may produce transient discomfort characterized by tearing or conjunctival redness (as with windburn). SKIN Skin contact is not thought to have harmful health effects, however the material may still produce health damage following entry through wounds, lesions or abrasions. 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. It is likely that older pine oils become irritants from the build up of peroxides of delta- 3-carene and limonene etc. The material may cause moderate inflammation of the skin either following direct contact or after a delay of some time. Repeated exposure can cause contact dermatitis which is characterized by redness, swelling and blistering. INHALED Inhalation of vapours may cause drowsiness and dizziness. This may be accompanied by narcosis, reduced alertness, loss of reflexes, lack of coordination and vertigo. There is some evidence to suggest that the material can cause respiratory irritation in some persons. The body's response to such irritation can cause further lung damage. Inhalation of high concentrations of gas/vapor causes lung irritation with coughing and nausea, central nervous depression with headache and dizziness, slowing of reflexes, fatigue and inco-ordination. Central nervous system (CNS) depression may include general discomfort, symptoms of giddiness, headache, dizziness, nausea, anaesthetic effects, slowed reaction time, slurred speech and may progress to unconsciousness. Serious poisonings may result in respiratory depression and may be fatal. Inhalation of aerosols (mists, fumes), generated by the material during the course of normal handling, may be damaging to the health of the individual.

Potential chronic health

Skin contact with the material is more likely to cause a sensitization reaction in some persons compared to the general population. Essential oils and isolates derived from the Pinacea family, including Pinus and Abies genera, should only be used when the level of peroxides is kept to the lowest practicable level, for instance by adding antioxidants at the time of production. Such products should have a peroxide value of less than 10 millimoles peroxide per liter. Based on the published literature mentioning sensitising properties when containing peroxides (Food and Chemical Toxicology 11,1053(1973); 16,843(1978); 16,853(1978). In the presence of air, a number of common flavour and fragrance chemicals can form peroxides surprisingly fast. Antioxidants can in most cases minimise the oxidation. Fragrance terpenes are generally easily oxidised in air. Non-oxidised limonene, linalool and caryophyllene turned out to be very weak sensitizers, however after oxidation limonene hydroperoxide and linalool hydroperoxide are strong sensitizers. Of the patients tested 2.6% showed positive reaction to oxidised limonene, 1.3% to oxidised linalool, 1.1% to linalool hydroperoxide, 0.5% to oxidised caryophyllene, while testing with caryophyllene oxide and oxidised myrcene resulted in few positive patch tests. 2/3 of the patients reacting positive to oxidised terpenes had fragrance related contact allergy and/or positive history for adverse reactions to fragrances. As well as the hydroperoxides produced by linalol, limonene and delta-3-carene other oxidation and resinification effects progressively causes other fairly major changes in essential oil quality over time. Autoxidation of fragrance terpenes contributes greatly to fragrance allergy, which emphasizes the need of testing with compounds that patients are actually exposed to and not only with the ingredients originally applied in commercial formulations.