Common Name: ETHYL ACRYLATE CAS Number: 140-88-5 RTK Substance number: 0843 DOT Number: UN 1917 Date: January 1996 Revision: April 2002 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- HAZARD SUMMARY * Ethyl Acrylate can affect you when breathed in and by * Exposure to hazardous substances should be routinely passing through your skin. evaluated. This may include collecting personal and area * Ethyl Acrylate should be handled as a CARCINOGEN-- air samples. You can obtain copies of sampling results WITH EXTREME CAUTION. from your employer. You have a legal right to this * Contact can irritate and burn the skin and eyes. information under OSHA 1910.1020. * Breathing Ethyl Acrylate can irritate the nose and throat. * If you think you are experiencing any work-related health * Breathing Ethyl Acrylate can irritate the lungs causing problems, see a doctor trained to recognize occupational coughing and/or shortness of breath. Higher exposures diseases. Take this Fact Sheet with you. can cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary * ODOR THRESHOLD = 0.00024 ppm. edema), a medical emergency, with severe shortness of * The range of accepted odor threshold values is quite breath. broad. Caution should be used in relying on odor alone as * Breathing high levels of Ethyl Acrylate can affect the a warning of potentially hazardous exposures. nervous system causing dizziness, drowsiness, nausea and headache. WORKPLACE EXPOSURE LIMITS * Ethyl Acrylate may cause a skin allergy. If allergy OSHA: The legal airborne permissible exposure limit develops, very low future exposure can cause itching and a (PEL) is 25 ppm averaged over an 8-hour skin rash. workshift. * Ethyl Acrylate is a REACTIVE CHEMICAL and an NIOSH: Recommends that exposure to occupational EXPLOSION HAZARD. carcinogens be limited to the lowest feasible concentration. IDENTIFICATION ACGIH: The recommended airborne exposure limit is Ethyl Acrylate is a colorless liquid with a sharp odor. It is 5 ppm averaged over an 8-hour workshift and used in making acrylic resins, plastics, rubber and denture 15 ppm as a STEL (short-term exposure limit). materials. * Ethyl Acrylate may be a CARCINOGEN in humans. REASON FOR CITATION There may be no safe level of exposure to a carcinogen, so * Ethyl Acrylate is on the Hazardous Substance List all contact should be reduced to the lowest possible level. because it is regulated by OSHA and cited by ACGIH, * The above exposure limits are for air levels only. When DOT, NIOSH, NTP, DEP, IARC, NFPA and EPA. skin contact also occurs, you may be overexposed, even * This chemical is on the Special Health Hazard Substance though air levels are less than the limits listed above. List because it is a CARCINOGEN, FLAMMABLE and REACTIVE. WAYS OF REDUCING EXPOSURE * Definitions are provided on page 5. * Enclose operations and use local exhaust ventilation at the site of chemical release. If local exhaust ventilation or HOW TO DETERMINE IF YOU ARE BEING enclosure is not used, respirators should be worn. EXPOSED * Wear protective work clothing. * Wash thoroughly immediately after exposure to Ethyl The New Jersey Right to Know Act requires most employers to label chemicals in the workplace and requires public Acrylate and at the end of the workshift. employers to provide their employees with information and * Post hazard and warning information in the work area. In training concerning chemical hazards and controls. The addition, as part of an ongoing education and training federal OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, 1910.1200, effort, communicate all information on the health and requires private employers to provide similar training and safety hazards of Ethyl Acrylate to potentially exposed information to their employees. workers. ETHYL ACRYLATE page 2 of 6 This Fact Sheet is a summary source of information of all * Evaluation by a qualified allergist, including careful potential and most severe health hazards that may result from exposure history and special testing, may help diagnose exposure. Duration of exposure, concentration of the substance skin allergy. and other factors will affect your susceptibility to any of the potential effects described below. Any evaluation should include a careful history of past and --------------------------------------------------------------------------- present symptoms with an exam. Medical tests that look for damage already done are not a substitute for controlling HEALTH HAZARD INFORMATION exposure. Acute Health Effects Request copies of your medical testing. You have a legal right The following acute (short-term) health effects may occur to this information under OSHA 1910.1020. immediately or shortly after exposure to Ethyl Acrylate: Mixed Exposures * Contact can irritate and burn the skin and eyes. * Because smoking can cause heart disease, as well as lung * Breathing Ethyl Acrylate can irritate the nose and throat. cancer, emphysema, and other respiratory problems, it may * Breathing Ethyl Acrylate can irritate the lungs causing worsen respiratory conditions caused by chemical exposure. coughing and/or shortness of breath. Higher exposures can Even if you have smoked for a long time, stopping now will cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), a reduce your risk of developing health problems. medical emergency, with severe shortness of breath. * Breathing high levels of Ethyl Acrylate can affect the WORKPLACE CONTROLS AND PRACTICES nervous system causing dizziness, drowsiness, nausea and headache. Unless a less toxic chemical can be substituted for a hazardous substance, ENGINEERING CONTROLS are the most Chronic Health Effects effective way of reducing exposure. The best protection is to The following chronic (long-term) health effects can occur at enclose operations and/or provide local exhaust ventilation at some time after exposure to Ethyl Acrylate and can last for the site of chemical release. Isolating operations can also months or years: reduce exposure. Using respirators or protective equipment is less effective than the controls mentioned above, but is Cancer Hazard sometimes necessary. * Ethyl Acrylate may be a CARCINOGEN in humans since it has been shown to cause stomach cancer in animals. In evaluating the controls present in your workplace, consider: * Many scientists believe there is no safe level of exposure to (1) how hazardous the substance is, (2) how much of the a carcinogen. substance is released into the workplace and (3) whether harmful skin or eye contact could occur. Special controls Reproductive Hazard should be in place for highly toxic chemicals or when * There is limited evidence that Ethyl Acrylate may damage significant skin, eye, or breathing exposures are possible. the developing fetus. In addition, the following controls are recommended: Other Long-Term Effects * Ethyl Acrylate may cause a skin allergy. If allergy * Where possible, automatically pump liquid Ethyl Acrylate develops, very low future exposure can cause itching and a from drums or other storage containers to process skin rash. containers. * Very irritating substances may affect the lungs. It is not * Before entering a confined space where Ethyl Acrylate known whether Ethyl Acrylate causes lung damage. may be present, check to make sure that an explosive concentration does not exist. MEDICAL Good WORK PRACTICES can help to reduce hazardous exposures. The following work practices are recommended: Medical Testing Before beginning employment and at regular times after that, * Workers whose clothing has been contaminated by Ethyl for those with frequent or potentially high exposures, the Acrylate should change into clean clothing promptly. following are recommended: * Contaminated work clothes should be laundered by individuals who have been informed of the hazards of * Lung function tests. exposure to Ethyl Acrylate. * Eye wash fountains should be provided in the immediate If symptoms develop or overexposure is suspected, the work area for emergency use. following are recommended: * If there is the possibility of skin exposure, emergency shower facilities should be provided. * Consider chest x-ray after acute overexposure. ETHYL ACRYLATE page 3 of 6 * On skin contact with Ethyl Acrylate, immediately wash or * Exposure to 300 ppm is immediately dangerous to life and shower to remove the chemical. At the end of the health. If the possibility of exposure above 300 ppm exists, workshift, wash any areas of the body that may have use a NIOSH approved self-contained breathing apparatus contacted Ethyl Acrylate, whether or not known skin with a full facepiece operated in a pressure-demand or other contact has occurred. positive-pressure mode. * Do not eat, smoke, or drink where Ethyl Acrylate is handled, processed, or stored, since the chemical can be HANDLING AND STORAGE swallowed. Wash hands carefully before eating, drinking, applying cosmetics, smoking, or using the toilet. * Prior to working with Ethyl Acrylate you should be trained on its proper handling and storage. PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT * Ethyl Acrylate is not compatible with OXIDIZING AGENTS (such as PERCHLORATES, PEROXIDES, WORKPLACE CONTROLS ARE BETTER THAN PERMANGANATES, CHLORATES, NITRATES, PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT. However, for CHLORINE, BROMINE and FLUORINE); STRONG some jobs (such as outside work, confined space entry, jobs ACIDS (such as HYDROCHLORIC, SULFURIC and done only once in a while, or jobs done while workplace NITRIC); STRONG