Material Safety Data Sheets

Manufacturers, importers and distributors of hazardous products must provide commercial customers with a Material Safety and Data Sheet (MSDS), in English, upon first purchase of a hazardous product, as well as whenever the MSDS changes. The MSDS provides information on the product’s chemical composition, uses, hazards, and disposal, among other things.

Although MSDSs are not required for non-hazardous products, many manufacturers will provide them with a statement indicating the product is non-hazardous. The law does not require manufacturers to provide a MSDS to artists, but most responsible producers will provide them to all of their customers.

While the format of the MSDS may change from producer to producer, all MSDSs must include the following information and sections:

Identity
The product identity should be the same as the name found on the product label.

Section I
This section must include the name, address, and telephone number of the chemical manufacturer or party responsible for providing information about a product’s hazards and hazard-related procedures. It must also give the date of the most recent update.

Section II - Hazardous Ingredients/Identity Information
Includes the chemicals and common names of hazardous ingredients. For mixtures that have been tested as a whole, only the ingredients found to be hazardous must be listed. If the mixture has not been tested, all toxic ingredients at a concentration greater than 1% must be listed, as well as all carcinogenic (cancer-causing) ingredients at concentrations over 0.1%. The MSDS does not have to list the percentage of each ingredient in the product.

The manufacturer may also list some ingredients as "Trade Secrets,” which means the substance will not be identified.

Materials are considered hazardous if:

• Listed in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Z-List of Toxic and Hazardous Substances. See the OSHA Website, or the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's database of hazardous and toxic substances.
  

• The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists has assigned a permissible exposure limit (PEL) to the product. The PEL represents the maximum occupational exposure permitted under the OSHA regulations.

• It is found to be toxic, carcinogenic, irritating, sensitizing or damaging to certain body organs.
  

Section III - Physical/Chemical Characteristics
Lists technical information about the product, such as the boiling point, vapor pressure, vapor density, solubility in water, specific gravity, volatile percentage, evaporation rate, appearance and odor. For aqueous solutions, pH may be included.

Section IV - Fire and Explosion Hazard Data
Contains technical information on the product's flammability, types of fire extinguishers needed, and other special precautions. Information in this section is important in planning for emergencies.

Section V - Reactivity Data
Addresses the product's compatibility with other chemicals, and special conditions to avoid. The stability section indicates whether the product can decompose, and describes conditions under which decomposition would occur. The hazardous decomposition section tells you what hazardous chemicals might be produced when the product is heated or burned. This information is important in determining proper storage of the product.

Section VI - Health Hazard Data
Lists symptoms of overexposure, acute and chronic health effects, emergency first aid measures, and the product’s carcinogenic (cancer-causing) properties. The MSDS must state if a chemical in the product has been found to be a carcinogen (or probable carcinogen) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and/or OSHA.

This section must also notify you if the product is listed in the U.S. National Toxicology Program's Annual Report on Carcinogens, and should list medical conditions that can be aggravated by exposure to the product.

Section VII - Precautions for Safe Handling and Use
Covers such topics as spill control, waste disposal, storage, and handling. Also provides information on special precautions such as what protective equipment to wear in case of spills.

Section VIII - Control Measures
Contains information about such control measures as ventilation, respirators and personal protective equipment (gloves, goggles, and protective clothing). The ventilation section should explain and recommend ventilation systems, while the respirator recommendations should state what type of respirator cartridge should be used. Most MSDSs do not tell you what type of glove to use, so you should consult other sources such as OSHA for these recommendations.

Other Sections
Additional sections in the MSDS provide technical and transportation data, which we will not cover here.

• Sample I of a MSDS

• Sample II of a MSDS