SDS Glossary MSDS Glossary Alkali Any chemical substance that forms soluble soaps with fatty acids. Alkalis are also referred to The following glossary presents brief explanations as bases. They may cause severe burns to the of acronyms and common 1erms frequently used skin. Alkalis turn litmus paper blue and have pH by chemical manufacturers in their MSDS's. values from 8 to 14. ACGIH American Conference of Governmental In- Allergic Reaction An abnormal physiological dustrial Hygienists is an organization of profes- response to chemical or physical stimuli. sional personnel in governmental agencies or educational institutions engaged in occupational Amenorrhea Absence of menstruation. safety and health programs. ACGIH establishes recommended occupational exposure limits for Anesthetic A chemical that causes a total or par- chemical substances and physical agents. See tial loss of sensation. Overexposure to anesthet- TLV. ics can cause impaired judgment, dizziness, drowsiness, headache, unconsciousness, and Acid Any chemical that und 3rgoes dissociation in even death. Examples include alcohol, paint water with the formation of hydrogen ions. Acids remover, and degreasers. have a sour taste and may cause severe skin burns. Acids turn litmus paper red and have pH ANSI American National Standards Institute is a values of 0 to 6. privately funded, voluntary membership organiza- tion that identifies industrial and public needs for Acute Effect Adverse effect on a human or national consensus standards and coordinates animal that has severe symptoms developing development of such standards. rapidly and coming quickly to a crisis. Antidote A remedy to relieve, prevent, or counter- Acute Toxicity Acute effect resulting from a sin- act the effects of a poison. gle dose of, or exposure to a substance. Or- dinarily used to denote effects in experimental API American Petroleum Institute is a organization animals. of the petroleum industry. Adenocarcinoma A tumor v1ith glandular (secret- Appearance A description of a substance at nor- ing) elements. mal room temperature and normal atmospheric conditions. Appearance includes the color, size, Adenosis Any disease of a gland. and consistency of a material. Adhesion A union of two surfaces that are nor- Aquatic Toxicity The adverse effects to marine mally separate. life that result from being exposed to a toxic sub- stance. Aerosol A fine aerial suspension of particles suffi- ciently small in size to conf er some degree of Asphyxiant A vapor or gas that can cause un- stability from sedimentation (e.g., smoke or fog). consciousness or death by suffocation (lack of oxygen). Most simple asphyxiants are harmful to Air-Line Respirator A respirator that is connected the body only when they become so concentrat- to a compressed breathable air source by a hose ed that they reduce oxygen in the air (normally of small inside diameter. The air is delivered con- about 21 percent) to dangerous levels (18 per- tinuously or intermittently in a sufficient volume cent or lower). Asphyxiation is one of the prin- to meet the wearer's breathing requirements. cipal potential hazards of working in confined and enclosed spaces. Air-Purifying Respirator A respirator that uses chemicals to remove specific gases and ASTM American Society for Testing and Materials vapors from the air or that uses a mechanical is the world's largest source of voluntary consen- filter to re- move particulate matter. An air- sus standards for materials, products, systems, purifying respirator must only be used when there and services. ASTM is a resource for sampling is sufficient oxygen to sustain life and the air and testing methods, health and safety aspects contaminant level is below the concentration of materials, safe performance guidelines, effects limits of the device. of physical and biological agents and chemicals. 1 Asymptomatic Showing no symptoms. Allyl Chloride 113°F Ethylene Glycol 387°F Atm Atmosphere, a unit of pressure equal to 760 mmHg (mercury) at sea leveI. BOM, or BuMines Bureau of Mines, U.S. Depart- Atmosphere-Supplying Respirator A respirator ment of Interior. that provides breathable air from a source in- dependent of the surrounding atmosphere. There Bonding The interconnecting of two objects b are two types: air-line and self-contained breath- means of a clamp and bare wire. Its purpose 1s ing apparatus. to equalize the electrical potential between the objects to prevent a static discharge when Auto-Ignition Temperature The temperature to transferring a flammable liquid from one which a closed, or nearly closed container must container to another. The conductive path is be heated in order that the flammable liquid, provided by clamps that make contact with the when introduced into the container, will ignite charge object and a low resistance flexible cable spontaneously or burn. w.h1ch al- lows the charge to equalize. See Grounding. BAL British Anti-Lewisite - A name for the drug dimecaprol- a treatment for toxic inhalations. Bulk Density Mass of powdered or granulated solid material per unit of volume. Base A substance that (1) liberates hydroxide (OH) ions when dissolved in water, (2) receives C Centigrade, a unit of temperature. hydrogen ions from a strong acid to form a weak- er acid, and (3) neutralizes an acid. Bases react Ceiling Limit (PEL or TLV) The maximum allowa- with acids to form salts and water. Bases have a ble human exposure limit for an airborne sub- pH greater than 7 and turn litmus paper blue. stance which is not to be exceeded even See Alkali. momentarily. Also see PEL and TLV. BCM Blood-clotting mechanism effects. ca Approximately. Benign Not recurrent or not tending to progress. Not cancerous. CAA Clean Air Act was enacted to regu- late/reduce air pollution. CAA is administered by Biodegradable Capable of being broken down U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. into innocuous products by the action of living things. Carcinogen A substance or agent capable of causing or producing cancer in mammals, includ- ing humans. A chemical is considered to be a Biopsy Removal and examination of tissue from carcinogen if the living body. (a) It has been evaluated by the International BLD Blood effects. Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and found to be a carcinogen or potential carcino- Boiling Points-BP The temperature at which a liquid changes to a vapor state at a given. pres- gen; or sure. The boiling point usually expressed in degrees Fahrenheit at sea level pressure (760 (b) It is listed as a carcinogen or potential car- mmHg, or one atmosphere). For mixtures, the in- cinogen in the Annual Report on Carcino- itial boiling point or the boiling range may be gens published by the National Toxicology given. Program (NTP) (latest edition); or Flammable materials with low boiling points gener- (c) It is regulated by OSHA as a carcinogen. ally present special fire hazards. Some approxi- mate boiling points: Carcinogenicity The ability to produce cancer. Carcinoma A malignant tumor. A form of cancer. Propane -44°F CAS Chemical Abstracts Service is an organiza- Anhydrous Ammonia -28°F tion under the American Chemical Society. CAS abstracts and indexes chemical literature from all Butane 31°F over the world in "Chemical Abstracts." "CAS Gasoline 100°F Numbers" are used to identify specific chemicals or mixtures. 2 Caustic See Alkali. lay pertinent emergency information concerning specific chemicals on requests from individuals. cc Cubic centimeter is a volume measurement in CHEMTREC has a 24-hour toll-free telephone the metric system that is equal in capacity to one number (800-424-9300) to help respond to chemi- milliliter (ml). One quart is about 946 cubic cen- cal transportation emergencies. timeters. Chronic Effect An adverse effect on a human or Central Nervous System Tt e brain and spinal animal body, with symptoms that develop slowly cord. These organs supervise and coordinate the over a long period of time or that recur frequent- activity of the entire nervous system. Sensory im- ly. Also see Acute. pulses are transmitted into the central nervous system, and motor impulse; are transmitted out. Chronic Exposure Long-term contact with a sub- stance. CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, c:1nd Liability Act of Chronic Toxicity Adverse (chronic) effects result- 1980. The Act requires that the Coast Guard Na- ing from repeated doses of or exposures to a tional Response Center be 11otified in the event substance over a relatively prolonged period of of a hazardous substance release. The Act also time. Ordinarily used to denote effects in ex- provides for a fund (the Superfund) to be used perimental animals. for the cleanup of abandoned hazardous waste disposal sites. Clean Air Act See CAA. CFR Code of Federal Regulations. A collection of Clean Water Act Federal law enacted to regu- the regulations that have been promulgated un- late/reduce water pollution. CWA is administered der United States Law. by EPA. Chemical An element (e.g., chlorine) or a CMA Chemical Manufactures Association. See compound (e.g., sodium bicarbonate) produced by CHEMTREC. chemical reaction. CO Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, Chemical Cartridge Respirat1>r A respirator that flammable, and very toxic gas produced by the uses various chemical substances to purify in- incomplete combustion of carbon. It is also a haled air of certain gases a11d vapors. This type byproduct of many chemical processes. A chemi- respirator is effective for co11centrations no more cal asphyiant; it reduces the blood's ability to than ten times the TLV of the contaminant, if the carry oxygen. Hemoglobin absorbs CO two contaminant has warning properties (odor or irri- hundred times more readily than it does oxygen. tation) below the TLV. C02 Carbon dioxide is a heavy, colorless gas that Chemical Family A group o1 single elements or is produced by the combustion and decomposi- compounds with a common general name. Exam- tion of organic substances and as a byproduct of ple: acetone, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), and many chemical processes.