Undecanoic γ-lactone

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

CHEMWATCH HAZARD RATINGS Min Max Flammability: 1 Toxicity: 2 Body Contact: 2 Min/Nil=0 Low=1 Reactivity: 1 Moderate=2 High=3 Chronic: 2 Extreme=4 CANADIAN WHMIS SYMBOLS EMERGENCY OVERVIEW RISK Irritating to respiratory system and skin. Toxic to aquatic organisms, may cause long-term adverse effects in the aquatic environment.

Potential Acute Health Effects

SWALLOWED ■ Accidental ingestion of the material may be damaging to the health of the individual. ■ Severe over-exposure to gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) may lead to coma and possible death due to respiratory failure. Ingestion may also cause kidney damage and peripheral neuropathy, a progressive disorder of the nervous system, characterised by sensory and motor abnormalities, muscle spasms, weakness and pain in the arms and legs, numbness and tingling of the fingers and toes and paralysis. 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 ■ 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. ■ 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. INHALED ■ The material can cause respiratory irritation in some persons. The body's response to such irritation can cause further lung damage. ■ Inhalation of vapours may cause drowsiness and dizziness. This may be accompanied by narcosis, reduced alertness, loss of reflexes, lack of coordination and vertigo. ■ Inhalation hazard is increased at higher temperatures. ■ 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.

Potential chronic health

■ Long-term exposure to respiratory irritants may result in disease of the airways involving difficult breathing and related systemic problems. Limited evidence suggests that repeated or long-term occupational exposure may produce cumulative health effects involving organs or biochemical systems. gamma-Butyrolactone is rapidly converted to gamma-hydroxybutyric acid by enzymes in the blood and liver of animals and humans. An equivocal response produced by the lactone, in carcinogenicity studies in rats, has been reported in terms of its ability to increase the incidence of pheochromocytomas in the renal medulla. Because of the rapid and extensive conversion of gamma-butyrolactone to the acid, the evaluation of the lactone was in fact an evaluation of gamma-hydroxybutric acid.