Right to Know Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet Common Name: PERMETHRIN Synonyms: 3-Phenoxybenzyl (IRS)-cis-trans-3-(2,2-Dichlorovinyl)-2,2- CAS Number: 52645-53-1 Dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylate RTK Substance Number: 3422 Chemical Name: Cyclopropanecarboxylic Acid, 3-(2,2- Dichloroethenyl)-2,2-Dimethyl-,(3-Phenoxyphenyl)Methyl Ester DOT Number: UN 2588 Date: August 2011 Description and Use EMERGENCY RESPONDERS >>>> SEE LAST PAGE Permethrin is a white to pale yellow or beige granular or Hazard Summary crystalline (sand-like) solid or a light brown liquid. It is a Hazard Rating NJDOH NFPA Pyrethroid insecticide used to control mosquitos, mites and HEALTH 2 - other insects. FLAMMABILITY 1 - REACTIVITY 0 - POISONOUS GASES ARE PRODUCED IN FIRE Hazard Rating Key: 0=minimal; 1=slight; 2=moderate; 3=serious; Reasons for Citation 4=severe f Permethrin is on the Right to Know Hazardous Substance List because it is cited by DOT, DEP, IARC, IRIS and EPA. f Permethrin can affect you when inhaled and may be absorbed through the skin. f Contact can irritate and burn the skin and eyes. Prolonged or repeated contact can cause a skin rash, itching, redness and numbness or tingling (“pins and needles”) sensation. f Inhaling Permethrin can irritate the nose, throat and lungs. f Exposure to Permethrin can cause headache, dizziness, fatigue, excessive salivation, muscle weakness, nausea and SEE GLOSSARY ON PAGE 5. vomiting. f Permethrin may affect the liver. FIRST AID f Permethrin does not burn or burns with difficulty. However, it is often dissolved in a liquid carrier which may be Eye Contact flammable or combustible. f Immediately flush with large amounts of water for at least 15 minutes, lifting upper and lower lids. Remove contact lenses, if worn, while rinsing. Workplace Exposure Limits Skin Contact No occupational exposure limits have been established for f Quickly remove contaminated clothing and wash Permethrin. However, it may pose a health risk. Always contaminated skin with large amounts of soap and water. follow safe work practices. Inhalation f It should be recognized that Permethrin can be absorbed f Remove the person from exposure. through your skin, thereby increasing your exposure. f Begin rescue breathing (using universal precautions) if breathing has stopped and CPR if heart action has stopped. f Transfer promptly to a medical facility. 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 PERMETHRIN Page 2 of 6 Determining Your Exposure Other Effects f Permethrin may affect the liver. f Read the product manufacturer’s Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and the label to determine product ingredients and important safety and health information about the product mixture. Medical f For each individual hazardous ingredient, read the New Medical Testing Jersey Department of Health Hazardous Substance Fact If symptoms develop or overexposure is suspected, the following are recommended: Sheet, available on the RTK website (www.nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb) or in your facility’s RTK f Liver function tests Central File or Hazard Communication Standard file. f You have a right to this information under the New Jersey Any evaluation should include a careful history of past and present symptoms with an exam. Medical tests that look for Worker and Community Right to Know Act and the Public damage already done are not a substitute for controlling Employees Occupational Safety and Health (PEOSH) Act exposure. if you are a public worker in New Jersey, and under the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) if you You have a legal right to request copies of your medical testing are a private worker. under the OSHA Access to Employee Exposure and Medical Records Standard (29 CFR 1910.1020). f The New Jersey Right to Know Act requires most employers to label chemicals in the workplace and Mixed Exposures requires public employers to provide their employees with f More than light alcohol consumption can cause liver information concerning chemical hazards and controls. damage. Drinking alcohol may increase the liver damage The federal OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (29 caused by Permethrin. CFR 1910.1200) and the PEOSH Hazard Communication Standard (N.J.A.C. 12:100-7) require employers to provide similar information and training to their employees. This Fact Sheet is a summary of available information regarding the health hazards that may result from exposure. Duration of exposure, concentration of the substance and other factors will affect your susceptibility to any of the potential effects described below. Health Hazard Information Acute Health Effects The following acute (short-term) health effects may occur immediately or shortly after exposure to Permethrin: f Contact can irritate and burn the skin and eyes. Prolonged or repeated contact can cause a skin rash, itching, redness and numbness or tingling (“pins and needles”) sensation. f Inhaling Permethrin can irritate the nose, throat and lungs. f Exposure to Permethrin can cause headache, dizziness, fatigue, excessive salivation, muscle weakness, nausea and vomiting. Chronic Health Effects The following chronic (long-term) health effects can occur at some time after exposure to Permethrin and can last for months or years: Cancer Hazard f While Permethrin has been tested, it is not classifiable as to its potential to cause cancer. Reproductive Hazard f There is limited evidence that Permethrin may damage the male reproductive system (including decreasing the sperm count) in animals. PERMETHRIN Page 3 of 6 Workplace Controls and Practices f The recommended protective clothing materials for Halogen compounds, aromatic are Tychem® F, C3, BR, CSM and Very toxic chemicals, or those that are reproductive hazards or TK, or the equivalent. sensitizers, require expert advice on control measures if a less f All protective clothing (suits, gloves, footwear, headgear) toxic chemical cannot be substituted. Control measures should be clean, available each day, and put on before work. include: (1) enclosing chemical processes for severely irritating and corrosive chemicals, (2) using local exhaust ventilation for chemicals that may be harmful with a single Eye Protection exposure, and (3) using general ventilation to control f Wear direct vent goggles when airborne particles or dust are exposures to skin and eye irritants. For further information on present. workplace controls, consult the NIOSH document on Control f Wear indirect vent goggles when working with liquids that Banding at www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/ctrlbanding/. may splash, spray or mist. A face shield is also required if the liquid is severely irritating or corrosive to the skin and The following work practices are also recommended: eyes. f Do not wear contact lenses when working with this f Label process containers. substance. f Provide employees with hazard information and training. f Monitor airborne chemical concentrations. Respiratory Protection f Use engineering controls if concentrations exceed Improper use of respirators is dangerous. Respirators recommended exposure levels. should only be used if the employer has implemented a written f Provide eye wash fountains and emergency showers. program that takes into account workplace conditions, f Wash or shower if skin comes in contact with a hazardous requirements for worker training, respirator fit testing, and material. medical exams, as described in the OSHA Respiratory f Always wash at the end of the workshift. f Change into clean clothing if clothing becomes Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134). contaminated. f Do not take contaminated clothing home. f For field applications check with your supervisor and your f Get special training to wash contaminated clothing. safety equipment supplier regarding the appropriate f Do not eat, smoke, or drink in areas where chemicals are respiratory equipment. being handled, processed or stored. f Where the potential exists for exposure to Permethrin, use f Wash hands carefully before eating, smoking, drinking, a NIOSH approved respirator with an organic vapor cartridge applying cosmetics or using the toilet. and particulate prefilters. Increased protection is obtained from full facepiece powered-air purifying respirators. In addition, the following may be useful or required: f Leave the area immediately if (1) while wearing a filter or cartridge respirator you can smell, taste, or otherwise detect Permethrin, (2) while wearing particulate filters abnormal f Use a vacuum or a wet method to reduce dust during clean- resistance to breathing is experienced, or (3) eye irritation up. DO NOT DRY SWEEP. occurs while wearing a full facepiece respirator. Check to f Follow the Restricted Entry Intervals (REIs) found on the make sure the respirator-to-face seal is still good. If it is, pesticide label. The REI is the period of time after a field is replace the filter or cartridge. If the seal is no longer good, treated with a pesticide during which restrictions on entry are you may need a new respirator. in effect. Check with the New Jersey Department of f Consider all potential sources of exposure in your workplace. Environmental Protection, Pesticide Control Program, for You may need a combination of filters, prefilters or cartridges pesticides that may require longer REIs than listed. to protect against different forms of a chemical (such as http://www.nj.gov/dep/enforcement/pcp/index.htm vapor and mist) or against a mixture of chemicals. f Where the potential for overexposure exists, use a NIOSH approved supplied-air respirator with a full facepiece Personal Protective Equipment operated in a pressure-demand or other positive-pressure mode. For increased protection use in combination with an The OSHA Personal Protective Equipment Standard (29 CFR auxiliary self-contained breathing apparatus or an 1910.132) requires employers to determine the appropriate emergency escape air cylinder. personal protective equipment for each hazard and to train employees on how and when to use protective equipment. Fire Hazards The following recommendations are only guidelines and may If employees are expected to fight fires, they must be trained not apply to every situation.