DIMETHYL ACETAMIDE CAS Number
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Common Name: DIMETHYL ACETAMIDE CAS Number: 127-19-5 RTK Substance number: 0736 DOT Number: None Date: January 1988 Revision: December 1998 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- HAZARD SUMMARY * Dimethyl Acetamide can affect you when breathed in and * ODOR THRESHOLD = 47 ppm. by passing through your skin. * The range of accepted odor threshold values is quite * Contact can cause skin and eye irritation. broad. Caution should be used in relying on odor alone as * Breathing Dimethyl Acetamide can irritate the nose and a warning of potentially hazardous exposures. throat. * High or repeated exposure can cause brain effects, WORKPLACE EXPOSURE LIMITS including depression, lethargy, hallucinations and other OSHA: The legal airborne permissible exposure limit personality changes. (PEL) is 10 ppm averaged over an 8-hour * Dimethyl Acetamide may damage the liver causing workshift. nausea and/or jaundice. NIOSH: The recommended airborne exposure limit is IDENTIFICATION 10 ppm averaged over a 10-hour workshift. Dimethyl Acetamide is a colorless liquid with a faint ammonia-like odor. It is used as a solvent for plastics, resins ACGIH: The recommended airborne exposure limit is and gums. 10 ppm averaged over an 8-hour workshift. REASON FOR CITATION * The above exposure limits are for air levels only. When * Dimethyl Acetamide is on the Hazardous Substance List skin contact also occurs, you may be overexposed, even because it is regulated by OSHA and cited by ACGIH, though air levels are less than the limits listed above. NIOSH and NFPA. * Definitions are provided on page 5. WAYS OF REDUCING EXPOSURE * Where possible, enclose operations and use local exhaust HOW TO DETERMINE IF YOU ARE BEING ventilation at the site of chemical release. If local exhaust EXPOSED ventilation or enclosure is not used, respirators should be The New Jersey Right to Know Act requires most employers worn. to label chemicals in the workplace and requires public * Wear protective work clothing. employers to provide their employees with information and * Wash thoroughly immediately after exposure to Dimethyl training concerning chemical hazards and controls. The Acetamide and at the end of the workshift. federal OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, 1910.1200, * Post hazard and warning information in the work area. In requires private employers to provide similar training and addition, as part of an ongoing education and training information to their employees. effort, communicate all information on the health and safety hazards of Dimethyl Acetamide to potentially * Exposure to hazardous substances should be routinely exposed workers. evaluated. This may include collecting personal and area air samples. You can obtain copies of sampling results from your employer. You have a legal right to this information under OSHA 1910.1020. * If you think you are experiencing any work-related health problems, see a doctor trained to recognize occupational diseases. Take this Fact Sheet with you. DIMETHYL ACETAMIDE page 2 of 6 This Fact Sheet is a summary source of information of all Mixed Exposures potential and most severe health hazards that may result from * Because more than light alcohol consumption can cause exposure. Duration of exposure, concentration of the liver damage, drinking alcohol can increase the liver substance and other factors will affect your susceptibility to damage caused by Dimethyl Acetamide. any of the potential effects described below. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- WORKPLACE CONTROLS AND PRACTICES HEALTH HAZARD INFORMATION Unless a less toxic chemical can be substituted for a hazardous substance, ENGINEERING CONTROLS are the most Acute Health Effects effective way of reducing exposure. The best protection is to The following acute (short-term) health effects may occur enclose operations and/or provide local exhaust ventilation at immediately or shortly after exposure to Dimethyl the site of chemical release. Isolating operations can also Acetamide: reduce exposure. Using respirators or protective equipment is less effective than the controls mentioned above, but is * Contact can cause skin and eye irritation. sometimes necessary. * Breathing Dimethyl Acetamide can irritate the nose and throat. In evaluating the controls present in your workplace, consider: (1) how hazardous the substance is, (2) how much of the Chronic Health Effects substance is released into the workplace and (3) whether The following chronic (long-term) health effects can occur at harmful skin or eye contact could occur. Special controls some time after exposure to Dimethyl Acetamide and can last should be in place for highly toxic chemicals or when for months or years: significant skin, eye, or breathing exposures are possible. Cancer Hazard In addition, the following control is recommended: * According to the information presently available to the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, * Where possible, automatically pump liquid Dimethyl Dimethyl Acetamide has not been tested for its ability to Acetamide from drums or other storage containers to cause cancer in animals. process containers. Reproductive Hazard Good WORK PRACTICES can help to reduce hazardous * There is limited evidence that Dimethyl Acetamide may exposures. The following work practices are recommended: damage the developing fetus. * Workers whose clothing has been contaminated by Other Long-Term Effects Dimethyl Acetamide should change into clean clothing promptly. * High or repeated exposure can cause brain effects, * Contaminated work clothes should be laundered by including depression, lethargy, hallucinations and other individuals who have been informed of the hazards of personality changes. exposure to Dimethyl Acetamide. * Dimethyl Acetamide may damage the liver causing * Eye wash fountains should be provided in the immediate nausea and/or jaundice. work area for emergency use. MEDICAL * If there is the possibility of skin exposure, emergency shower facilities should be provided. Medical Testing * On skin contact with Dimethyl Acetamide, immediately wash or shower to remove the chemical. At the end of the If symptoms develop or overexposure is suspected, the workshift, wash any areas of the body that may have following is recommended: contacted Dimethyl Acetamide, whether or not known * Liver function tests. skin contact has occurred. * An exam of the nervous system emphasizing personality * Do not eat, smoke, or drink where Dimethyl Acetamide is changes. handled, processed, or stored, since the chemical can be swallowed. Wash hands carefully before eating, drinking, Any evaluation should include a careful history of past and smoking, or using the toilet. present symptoms with an exam. Medical tests that look for damage already done are not a substitute for controlling PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT exposure. WORKPLACE CONTROLS ARE BETTER THAN Request copies of your medical testing. You have a legal PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT. However, for right to this information under OSHA 1910.1020. some jobs (such as outside work, confined space entry, jobs done only once in a while, or jobs done while workplace controls are being installed), personal protective equipment may be appropriate. DIMETHYL ACETAMIDE page 3 of 6 OSHA 1910.132 requires employers to determine the QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS appropriate personal protective equipment for each hazard and to train employees on how and when to use protective Q: If I have acute health effects, will I later get chronic equipment. health effects? A: Not always. Most chronic (long-term) effects result The following recommendations are only guidelines and may from repeated exposures to a chemical. not apply to every situation. Q: Can I get long-term effects without ever having short- Clothing term effects? * Avoid skin contact with Dimethyl Acetamide. Wear A: Yes, because long-term effects can occur from repeated solvent-resistant gloves and clothing. Safety equipment exposures to a chemical at levels not high enough to suppliers/manufacturers can provide recommendations on make you immediately sick. the most protective glove/clothing material for your operation. Q: What are my chances of getting sick when I have been * All protective clothing (suits, gloves, footwear, headgear) exposed to chemicals? should be clean, available each day, and put on before A: The likelihood of becoming sick from chemicals is work. increased as the amount of exposure increases. This is * Safety equipment manufacturers recommends Butyl determined by the length of time and the amount of Rubber as a protective material. material to which someone is exposed. Q: When are higher exposures more likely? Eye Protection A: Conditions which increase risk of exposure include * Wear indirect-vent, impact and splash resistant goggles physical and mechanical processes (heating, pouring, when working with liquids. spraying, spills and evaporation from large surface areas * Wear a face shield along with goggles when working with such as open containers), and "confined space" corrosive, highly irritating or toxic substances. exposures (working inside vats, reactors, boilers, small * Contact lenses should not be worn when working with this rooms, etc.). substance. Q: Is the risk of getting sick higher for workers than for Respiratory Protection community residents? IMPROPER USE OF RESPIRATORS IS DANGEROUS. A: Yes. Exposures in the community, except