Common Name: SODIUM BOROHYDRIDE CAS Number: 16940-66-2 RTK Substance number: 2063 DOT Number: UN 1426 Date: August 1999 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- HAZARD SUMMARY WORKPLACE EXPOSURE LIMITS * Sodium Borohydride can affect you when breathed in No occupational exposure limits have been established for and by passing through your skin. Sodium Borohydride. This does not mean that this substance * Contact can severely irritate and burn the skin and eyes is not harmful. Safe work practices should always be with possible eye damage. followed. * Breathing Sodium Borohydride can irritate the nose and throat. * It should be recognized that Sodium Borohydride can be * Breathing Sodium Borohydride can irritate the lungs absorbed through your skin, thereby increasing your causing coughing and/or shortness of breath. Higher exposure. exposures can cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), a medical emergency, with severe WAYS OF REDUCING EXPOSURE shortness of breath. * Where possible, enclose operations and use local exhaust * Very high exposure to Sodium Borohydride may affect ventilation at the site of chemical release. If local exhaust the nervous system. ventilation or enclosure is not used, respirators should be worn. IDENTIFICATION * Wear protective work clothing. Sodium Borohydride is a white, odorless powder or pellet. It * Wash thoroughly immediately after exposure to Sodium is used for bleaching wood pulp, as a blowing agent for Borohydride and at the end of the workshift. plastics, and as a reducing agent for aldehydes and ketones. * Post hazard and warning information in the work area. In addition, as part of an ongoing education and training REASON FOR CITATION effort, communicate all information on the health and * Sodium Borohydride is on the Hazardous Substance List safety hazards of Sodium Borohydride to potentially because it is cited by DOT. exposed workers. * Definitions are provided on page 5. HOW TO DETERMINE IF YOU ARE BEING EXPOSED The New Jersey Right to Know Act requires most employers to label chemicals in the workplace and requires public employers to provide their employees with information and training concerning chemical hazards and controls. The federal OSHA Hazard Communication Standard, 1910.1200, requires private employers to provide similar training and information to their employees. * Exposure to hazardous substances should be routinely 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. SODIUM BOROHYDRIDE page 2 of 6 This Fact Sheet is a summary source of information of all Request copies of your medical testing. You have a legal potential and most severe health hazards that may result from right to this information under OSHA 1910.1020. exposure. Duration of exposure, concentration of the substance and other factors will affect your susceptibility to Mixed Exposures any of the potential effects described below. * Because smoking can cause heart disease, as well as lung --------------------------------------------------------------------------- cancer, emphysema, and other respiratory problems, it may worsen respiratory conditions caused by chemical HEALTH HAZARD INFORMATION exposure. Even if you have smoked for a long time, stopping now will reduce your risk of developing health Acute Health Effects problems. The following acute (short-term) health effects may occur immediately or shortly after exposure to Sodium WORKPLACE CONTROLS AND PRACTICES Borohydride: Unless a less toxic chemical can be substituted for a hazardous * Contact can severely irritate and burn the skin and eyes substance, ENGINEERING CONTROLS are the most with possible eye damage. effective way of reducing exposure. The best protection is to * Breathing Sodium Borohydride can irritate the nose and enclose operations and/or provide local exhaust ventilation at throat. the site of chemical release. Isolating operations can also * Breathing Sodium Borohydride can irritate the lungs reduce exposure. Using respirators or protective equipment is causing coughing and/or shortness of breath. Higher less effective than the controls mentioned above, but is exposures can cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs sometimes necessary. (pulmonary edema), a medical emergency, with severe shortness of breath. 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 Sodium Borohydride and can should be in place for highly toxic chemicals or when last 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 * Where possible, automatically transfer Sodium New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, Borohydride from drums or other storage containers to Sodium Borohydride has not been tested for its ability to process containers. cause cancer in animals. Reproductive Hazard Good WORK PRACTICES can help to reduce hazardous exposures. The following work practices are recommended: * According to the information presently available to the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, * Workers whose clothing has been contaminated by Sodium Borohydride has not been tested for its ability to Sodium Borohydride should change into clean clothing affect reproduction. promptly. * Do not take contaminated work clothes home. Family Other Long-Term Effects members could be exposed. * Very high exposure to Sodium Borohydride may affect * Contaminated work clothes should be laundered by the nervous system. individuals who have been informed of the hazards of exposure to Sodium Borohydride. MEDICAL * Eye wash fountains should be provided in the immediate work area for emergency use. Medical Testing * If there is the possibility of skin exposure, emergency If symptoms develop or overexposure is suspected, the shower facilities should be provided. following are recommended: * On skin contact with Sodium Borohydride, immediately wash or shower to remove the chemical. At the end of the * Consider chest x-ray after acute overexposure. workshift, wash any areas of the body that may have * Exam of the nervous system. contacted Sodium Borohydride, whether or not known skin contact has occurred. Any evaluation should include a careful history of past and present symptoms with an exam. Medical tests that look for * Do not eat, smoke, or drink where Sodium Borohydride damage already done are not a substitute for controlling is handled, processed, or stored, since the chemical can be exposure. swallowed. Wash hands carefully before eating, drinking, smoking, or using the toilet. SODIUM BOROHYDRIDE page 3 of 6 * Use a vacuum to reduce dust during clean-up. DO NOT * Be sure to consider all potential exposures in your DRY SWEEP. workplace. You may need a combination of filters, PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT prefilters or cartridges to protect against different forms of a chemical (such as vapor and mist) or against a mixture of WORKPLACE CONTROLS ARE BETTER THAN chemicals. PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT. However, for * Where the potential for high exposure exists, use a some jobs (such as outside work, confined space entry, jobs MSHA/NIOSH approved supplied-air respirator with a full done only once in a while, or jobs done while workplace facepiece operated in a pressure-demand or other positive- controls are being installed), personal protective equipment pressure mode. For increased protection use in may be appropriate. combination with an auxiliary self-contained breathing apparatus operated in a pressure-demand or other positive- OSHA 1910.132 requires employers to determine the pressure mode. appropriate personal protective equipment for each hazard and to train employees on how and when to use protective HANDLING AND STORAGE equipment. * Prior to working with Sodium Borohydride you should The following recommendations are only guidelines and may be trained on its proper handling and storage. not apply to every situation. * Sodium Borohydride reacts with WATER or MOIST AIR to produce flammable and explosive Hydrogen gas. Clothing It will also react with STRONG ACIDS (such as * Avoid skin contact with Sodium Borohydride. Wear HYDROCHLORIC, SULFURIC and NITRIC) to produce protective gloves and clothing. Safety equipment poisonous Diborane gas. suppliers/manufacturers can provide recommendations on * Sodium Borohydride reacts violently with the most protective glove/clothing material for your DIMETHYLFORMAMIDE; ALDEHYDES; FINELY operation. DIVIDED METALS and METAL POWDERS (such as * All protective clothing (suits, gloves, footwear, headgear) ALUMINUM and COPPER); OXIDIZING AGENTS should be clean, available each day, and put on before (such as PERCHLORATES, PEROXIDES, work. PERMANGANATES, CHLORATES, NITRATES, CHLORINE, BROMINE and FLUORINE); KETONES Eye Protection (such as ACETONE); and ACRYLONITRILE. * Wear