Common Name: SELENIUM SULFIDE CAS Number: 7446-34-6 RTK Substance number: 1653 DOT Number: UN 2657 Date: October 1995 Revision: October 2001 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- HAZARD SUMMARY * Selenium Sulfide can affect you when breathed in and by * If you think you are experiencing any work-related health passing through your skin. problems, see a doctor trained to recognize occupational * Selenium Sulfide should be handled as a CARCINOGEN- diseases. Take this Fact Sheet with you. -WITH EXTREME CAUTION. * Contact can irritate the eyes with possible eye damage. WORKPLACE EXPOSURE LIMITS * Breathing Selenium Sulfide can irritate the nose and The following exposure limits are for Selenium compounds throat. (measured as Selenium): * High exposure may cause headache, nausea, vomiting, garlic odor of the breath, metallic taste and coated tongue. OSHA: The legal airborne permissible exposure limit * Repeated exposure can cause pallor, nervousness and (PEL) is 0.2 mg/m3 averaged over an 8-hour mood changes. workshift. * Selenium Sulfide may damage the liver and kidneys. NIOSH: The recommended airborne exposure limit is IDENTIFICATION 0.2 mg/m3 averaged over a 10-hour workshift. Selenium Sulfide is a bright orange powder. It is used in medicated shampoos. ACGIH: The recommended airborne exposure limit is 3 0.2 mg/m averaged over an 8-hour workshift. REASON FOR CITATION * Selenium Sulfide is on the Hazardous Substance List * Selenium Sulfide may be a CARCINOGEN in humans. because it is regulated by OSHA and cited by ACGIH, There may be no safe level of exposure to a carcinogen, so DOT, NIOSH, NTP, DEP, HHAG and EPA. all contact should be reduced to the lowest possible level. * The above exposure limits are for air levels only. When * This chemical is on the Special Health Hazard Substance skin contact also occurs, you may be overexposed, even List because it is a CARCINOGEN. though air levels are less than the limits listed above. * Definitions are provided on page 5. HOW TO DETERMINE IF YOU ARE BEING WAYS OF REDUCING EXPOSURE * Enclose operations and use local exhaust ventilation at the EXPOSED site of chemical release. If local exhaust ventilation or The New Jersey Right to Know Act requires most employers enclosure is not used, respirators should be 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 Selenium training concerning chemical hazards and controls. The Sulfide 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 information to their employees. addition, as part of an ongoing education and training effort, communicate all information on the health and * Exposure to hazardous substances should be routinely safety hazards of Selenium Sulfide to potentially exposed evaluated. This may include collecting personal and area workers. air samples. You can obtain copies of sampling results from your employer. You have a legal right to this information under OSHA 1910.1020. SELENIUM SULFIDE page 2 of 6 This Fact Sheet is a summary source of information of all Any evaluation should include a careful history of past and potential and most severe health hazards that may result from present symptoms with an exam. Medical tests that look for exposure. Duration of exposure, concentration of the substance damage already done are not a substitute for controlling and other factors will affect your susceptibility to any of the exposure. potential effects described below. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Request copies of your medical testing. You have a legal right to this information under OSHA 1910.1020. HEALTH HAZARD INFORMATION Mixed Exposures Acute Health Effects * Because more than light alcohol consumption can cause The following acute (short-term) health effects may occur liver damage, drinking alcohol can increase the liver immediately or shortly after exposure to Selenium Sulfide: damage caused by Selenium Sulfide. * Contact can irritate the eyes with possible eye damage. WORKPLACE CONTROLS AND PRACTICES * Breathing Selenium Sulfide can irritate the nose and throat. * High exposure may cause headache, nausea, vomiting, Unless a less toxic chemical can be substituted for a hazardous garlic odor of the breath, metallic taste and coated tongue. substance, ENGINEERING CONTROLS are the most effective way of reducing exposure. The best protection is to Chronic Health Effects enclose operations and/or provide local exhaust ventilation at The following chronic (long-term) health effects can occur at the site of chemical release. Isolating operations can also some time after exposure to Selenium Sulfide and can last for reduce exposure. Using respirators or protective equipment is months or years: less effective than the controls mentioned above, but is sometimes necessary. Cancer Hazard * Selenium Sulfide may be a CARCINOGEN in humans In evaluating the controls present in your workplace, consider: since it has been shown to cause liver and lung cancer in (1) how hazardous the substance is, (2) how much of the animals. substance is released into the workplace and (3) whether * Many scientists believe there is no safe level of exposure to harmful skin or eye contact could occur. Special controls a carcinogen. Such substances may also have the potential should be in place for highly toxic chemicals or when for causing reproductive damage in humans. significant skin, eye, or breathing exposures are possible. Reproductive Hazard In addition, the following control is recommended: * Selenium Sulfide has not been tested for its ability to cause reproductive damage but it should be handled with caution * Where possible, automatically transfer Selenium Sulfide since some related Selenium compounds damage the from drums or other storage containers to process developing fetus and decrease fertility in females. containers. Other Long-Term Effects Good WORK PRACTICES can help to reduce hazardous * Repeated exposure can cause pallor, nervousness and mood exposures. The following work practices are recommended: changes. * Selenium Sulfide may damage the liver and kidneys. * Workers whose clothing has been contaminated by Selenium Sulfide should change into clean clothing promptly. MEDICAL * Do not take contaminated work clothes home. Family members could be exposed. Medical Testing * Contaminated work clothes should be laundered by Before beginning employment and at regular times after that, individuals who have been informed of the hazards of for those with frequent or potentially high exposures, the exposure to Selenium Sulfide. following is recommended: * Eye wash fountains should be provided in the immediate work area for emergency use. * Urine test for Selenium (should be less than 100 * If there is the possibility of skin exposure, emergency micrograms per liter of urine). shower facilities should be provided. * On skin contact with Selenium Sulfide, immediately wash If symptoms develop or overexposure is suspected, the or shower to remove the chemical. At the end of the following are recommended: workshift, wash any areas of the body that may have contacted Selenium Sulfide, whether or not known skin * Liver and kidney function tests. contact has occurred. SELENIUM SULFIDE page 3 of 6 * Do not eat, smoke, or drink where Selenium Sulfide is QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS handled, processed, or stored, since the chemical can be swallowed. Wash hands carefully before eating, drinking, Q: If I have acute health effects, will I later get chronic applying cosmetics, smoking, or using the toilet. health effects? * Use a vacuum or a wet method to reduce dust during clean- A: Not always. Most chronic (long-term) effects result from up. DO NOT DRY SWEEP. repeated exposures to a chemical. PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT Q: Can I get long-term effects without ever having short- term effects? WORKPLACE CONTROLS ARE BETTER THAN A: Yes, because long-term effects can occur from repeated PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT. However, for exposures to a chemical at levels not high enough to make some jobs (such as outside work, confined space entry, jobs you immediately sick. done only once in a while, or jobs done while workplace controls are being installed), personal protective equipment Q: What are my chances of getting sick when I have been may be appropriate. exposed to chemicals? A: The likelihood of becoming sick from chemicals is OSHA 1910.132 requires employers to determine the increased as the amount of exposure increases. This is appropriate personal protective equipment for each hazard and determined by the length of time and the amount of to train employees on how and when to use protective equipment. material to which someone is exposed. The following recommendations are only guidelines and may Q: When are higher exposures more likely? not apply to every situation. A: Conditions which increase risk of exposure include dust releasing operations (grinding, mixing, blasting, dumping, Clothing etc.), other physical and mechanical processes (heating, * Avoid skin contact with Selenium Sulfide. Wear pouring, spraying, spills and evaporation from large protective gloves and clothing. Safety equipment suppliers/ surface