Jersey Department of Health, Ammonium Hydroxide Has Sheet (MSDS) and the Label to Determine Product Not Been Tested for Its Ability to Affect Reproduction
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Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet Common Name: AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE Synonyms: Ammonia Water; Aqua Ammonia CAS Number: 1336-21-6 Chemical Name: Ammonium Hydroxide RTK Substance Number: 0103 Date: March 2002 Revision: July 2011 DOT Number: UN 2672 Description and Use EMERGENCY RESPONDERS >>>> SEE LAST PAGE Ammonium Hydroxide is a colorless solution of Ammonia in Hazard Summary water with a pungent odor. It is usually found in concentrations Hazard Rating NJDOH NFPA up to 30% and is used in household cleaners, photography, HEALTH 3 - and fertilizers, textiles, rubber, and pharmaceuticals, and is FLAMMABILITY 0 - also used as a refrigerant. REACTIVITY 0 - CORROSIVE f ODOR THRESHOLD = 50 ppm POISONOUS GASES ARE PRODUCED IN FIRE f Odor thresholds vary greatly. Do not rely on odor alone to determine potentially hazardous exposures. Hazard Rating Key: 0=minimal; 1=slight; 2=moderate; 3=serious; 4=severe Reasons for Citation f Ammonium Hydroxide can affect you when inhaled. f Ammonium Hydroxide is on the Right to Know Hazardous f Ammonium Hydroxide is a CORROSIVE CHEMICAL and Substance List because it is cited by DOT and EPA. contact can severely irritate and burn the skin and eyes f This chemical is on the Special Health Hazard Substance leading to eye damage. List. f Exposure can irritate the eyes, nose and throat. f Inhaling Ammonium Hydroxide can irritate the lungs. Higher exposures may cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), a medical emergency. f Repeated skin contact can cause dryness, itching and SEE GLOSSARY ON PAGE 5. redness (dermatitis). f Ammonium Hydroxide is not combustible, however in a fire FIRST AID Ammonia vapors are formed that can be ignited and may result in an explosion. Eye Contact f Immediately flush with large amounts of water for at least 30 minutes, lifting upper and lower lids. Remove contact lenses, if worn, while flushing. Seek medical attention. Workplace Exposure Limits The following exposure limits are for Ammonia: Skin Contact f Quickly remove contaminated clothing. Immediately wash OSHA: The legal airborne permissible exposure limit (PEL) is contaminated skin with large amounts of soap and water. 50 ppm averaged over an 8-hour workshift. Seek medical attention. Inhalation NIOSH: The recommended airborne exposure limit (REL) is 25 ppm averaged over a 10-hour workshift and f Remove the person from exposure. 35 ppm, not to be exceeded during any 15-minute f Begin rescue breathing (using universal precautions) if work period. breathing has stopped and CPR if heart action has stopped. f Transfer promptly to a medical facility. ACGIH: The threshold limit value (TLV) is 25 ppm averaged f Medical observation is recommended for 24 to 48 hours after over an 8-hour workshift and 35 ppm as a STEL overexposure, as pulmonary edema may be delayed. (short-term exposure limit). EMERGENCY NUMBERS Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222 CHEMTREC: 1-800-424-9300 NJDEP Hotline: 1-877-927-6337 National Response Center: 1-800-424-8802 AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE Page 2 of 6 Determining Your Exposure Reproductive Hazard f According to the information presently available to the New f Read the product manufacturer’s Material Safety Data Jersey Department of Health, Ammonium Hydroxide has Sheet (MSDS) and the label to determine product not been tested for its ability to affect reproduction. ingredients and important safety and health information about the product mixture. Other Effects f Ammonium Hydroxide can irritate the lungs. Repeated f For each individual hazardous ingredient, read the New exposure may cause bronchitis to develop with coughing, Jersey Department of Health Hazardous Substance Fact phlegm, and/or shortness of breath. Sheet, available on the RTK website f Repeated skin contact can cause dryness, itching and (www.nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb) or in your facility’s RTK redness (dermatitis). Central File or Hazard Communication Standard file. f You have a right to this information under the New Jersey Worker and Community Right to Know Act and the Public Medical Employees Occupational Safety and Health (PEOSH) Act Medical Testing if you are a public worker in New Jersey, and under the If symptoms develop or overexposure is suspected, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) if you following are recommended: are a private worker. f Lung function tests f The New Jersey Right to Know Act requires most employers to label chemicals in the workplace and If symptoms develop or overexposure is suspected, the requires public employers to provide their employees with following is recommended: information concerning chemical hazards and controls. The federal OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (29 f Consider chest x-ray after acute overexposure CFR 1910.1200) and the PEOSH Hazard Communication Any evaluation should include a careful history of past and Standard (N.J.A.C. 12:100-7) require employers to provide present symptoms with an exam. Medical tests that look for similar information and training to their employees. damage already done are not a substitute for controlling exposure. This Fact Sheet is a summary of available information regarding the health hazards that may result from exposure. Request copies of your medical testing. You have a legal right Duration of exposure, concentration of the substance and other to this information under the OSHA Access to Employee factors will affect your susceptibility to any of the potential Exposure and Medical Records Standard (29 CFR 1910.1020). effects described below. Mixed Exposures f Smoking can cause heart disease, lung cancer, Health Hazard Information emphysema, and other respiratory problems. It may worsen respiratory conditions caused by chemical exposure. Even if Acute Health Effects you have smoked for a long time, stopping now will reduce The following acute (short-term) health effects may occur your risk of developing health problems. immediately or shortly after exposure to Ammonium Hydroxide: f Contact can severely irritate and burn the skin and eyes leading to eye damage. f Exposure can irritate the eyes, nose and throat. f Inhaling Ammonium Hydroxide can irritate the lungs causing coughing and/or shortness of breath. Higher exposures may cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), a medical emergency, with severe shortness of breath. Chronic Health Effects The following chronic (long-term) health effects can occur at some time after exposure to Ammonium Hydroxide and can last for months or years: Cancer Hazard f According to the information presently available to the New Jersey Department of Health, Ammonium Hydroxide has not been tested for its ability to cause cancer in animals. AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE Page 3 of 6 Workplace Controls and Practices Eye Protection Very toxic chemicals, or those that are reproductive hazards or f Wear indirect-vent, impact and splash resistant goggles sensitizers, require expert advice on control measures if a less when working with liquids. toxic chemical cannot be substituted. Control measures f Wear a face shield along with goggles when working with include: (1) enclosing chemical processes for severely corrosive, highly irritating or toxic substances. irritating and corrosive chemicals, (2) using local exhaust ventilation for chemicals that may be harmful with a single Respiratory Protection exposure, and (3) using general ventilation to control Improper use of respirators is dangerous. Respirators exposures to skin and eye irritants. For further information on should only be used if the employer has implemented a written workplace controls, consult the NIOSH document on Control program that takes into account workplace conditions, Banding at www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ctrlbanding/. requirements for worker training, respirator fit testing, and The following work practices are also recommended: medical exams, as described in the OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134). f Label process containers. f Provide employees with hazard information and training. f Where the potential exists for exposure over 25 ppm (as f Monitor airborne chemical concentrations. Ammonia), use a NIOSH approved full facepiece respirator f Use engineering controls if concentrations exceed with an acid gas cartridge which is specifically approved for recommended exposure levels. Ammonium Hydroxide. Increased protection is obtained f Provide eye wash fountains and emergency showers. from full facepiece powered-air purifying respirators. f Wash or shower if skin comes in contact with a hazardous f Leave the area immediately if (1) while wearing a filter or material. cartridge respirator you can smell, taste, or otherwise detect f Always wash at the end of the workshift. Ammonium Hydroxide, (2) while wearing particulate filters f Change into clean clothing if clothing becomes abnormal resistance to breathing is experienced, or (3) eye contaminated. irritation occurs while wearing a full facepiece respirator. f Do not take contaminated clothing home. Check to make sure the respirator-to-face seal is still good. f Get special training to wash contaminated clothing. If it is, replace the filter or cartridge. If the seal is no longer f Do not eat, smoke, or drink in areas where chemicals are good, you may need a new respirator. being handled, processed or stored. f Consider all potential sources of exposure in your workplace. f Wash hands carefully before eating, smoking, drinking, You may need a combination of filters, prefilters or cartridges applying cosmetics or using the toilet. to protect against different forms of a chemical (such as vapor and mist) or against a mixture of chemicals. In addition, the following may be useful or required: f Where the potential for high exposure exists, use a NIOSH approved supplied-air respirator with a full facepiece f Where possible, transfer Ammonium Hydroxide from operated in a pressure-demand or other positive-pressure drums or other containers to process containers in an mode. For increased protection use in combination with an enclosed system. auxiliary self-contained breathing apparatus or an emergency escape air cylinder.