Tween 85

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

CHEMWATCH HAZARD RATINGS Min Max Flammability 1 Toxicity 2 Min/Nil=0 Body Contact 2 Low=1 Reactivity Moderate=2 1 High=3 Chronic 0 Extreme=4 CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS None EMERGENCY OVERVIEW RISK

Potential Acute Health Effects

SWALLOWED ■ Accidental ingestion of the material may be damaging to the health of the individual. ■ Nonionic surfactants may produce localised irritation of the oral or gastrointestinal lining and induce vomiting and mild diarrhoea. EYE ■ There is some evidence to suggest that this material can cause eye irritation and damage in some persons. ■ Non-ionic surfactants can cause numbing of the cornea, which masks discomfort normally caused by other agents and leads to corneal injury. Irritation varies depending on the duration of contact, the nature and concentration of the surfactant. SKIN ■ The material is not thought to produce adverse health effects or skin irritation following contact (as classified by EC Directives using animal models). Nevertheless, good hygiene practice requires that exposure be kept to a minimum and that suitable gloves be used in an occupational setting. ■ Repeated exposure may cause skin cracking, flaking or drying following normal handling and use. ■ 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 ■ The material is not thought to produce either adverse health effects or irritation of the respiratory tract following inhalation (as classified by EC Directives using animal models). Nevertheless, adverse systemic effects have been produced following exposure of animals by at least one other route and good hygiene practice requires that exposure be kept to a minimum and that suitable control measures be used in an occupational setting.

Potential chronic health

■ Long-term exposure to the product is not thought to produce chronic effects adverse to the health (as classified by EC Directives using animal models); nevertheless exposure by all routes should be minimised as a matter of course. Prolonged or repeated skin contact may cause degreasing with drying, cracking and dermatitis following.