Section 2 - Composition, Information on Ingredients

CAS#	Chemical Name	Percent	EINECS/ELINCS
30525-89-4	Paraformaldehyde	>90	unlisted
50-00-0	Formaldehyde	off-gas	200-001-8

Section 3 - Hazards Identification

Appearance: white powder. Flash Point: 70 deg C.
Warning! Flammable solid. Causes eye, skin, and respiratory tract irritation. May cause allergic respiratory and skin reaction. Harmful if inhaled. May be harmful if swallowed or absorbed through the skin. Product may generate formaldehyde which can cause cancer.
Target Organs: Respiratory system, eyes, skin.


Potential Health Effects
Eye: May result in corneal injury. Causes severe eye irritation and burns.
Skin: Causes skin irritation. May cause skin sensitization, an allergic reaction, which becomes evident upon re-exposure to this material. Contact with dust causes drying, cracking, and scaling of the skin.
Ingestion: Symptoms may include: headache, excitement, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, stupor, and coma. May cause systemic toxicity with acidosis. May cause severe digestive tract irritation with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Inhalation: May cause severe irritation of the upper respiratory tract with pain, burns, and inflammation. May cause anosmia (loss of smell). Inhalation of high concentrations may cause pulmonary edema. Formaldehyde may cause asthmatic symptoms by acting as an immunological sensitizer. Harmful if inhaled.
Chronic: Prolonged or repeated eye contact may cause conjunctivitis. Repeated inhalation may cause chronic bronchitis. Repeated exposure may cause sensitization dermatitis. Contains formaldehyde which can cause cancer in humans. There is sufficient evidence that formaldehyde causes nasopharyngeal cancer in humans, a rare cancer in developed countries. There is limited evidence that formaldehyde causes cancer of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses and strong but not sufficient evidence for leukemia.

Section 4 - First Aid Measures

Eyes: In case of contact, immediately flush eyes with plenty of water for a t least 15 minutes. Get medical aid immediately.
Skin: In case of contact, immediately flush skin with soap and plenty of water. Remove contaminated clothing and shoes. Get medical aid if symptoms occur. Wash clothing before reuse.
Ingestion: If swallowed, do not induce vomiting unless directed to do so by medical personnel. Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person. Get medical aid.
Inhalation: If inhaled, remove to fresh air. If not breathing, give artificial respiration. If breathing is difficult, give oxygen. Get medical aid.
Notes to Physician: Treat symptomatically and supportively.

Section 5 - Fire Fighting Measures

General Information: As in any fire, wear a self-contained breathing apparatus in pressure-demand, MSHA/NIOSH (approved or equivalent), and full protective gear. Use water spray to keep fire-exposed containers cool. Flammable solid. Approach fire from upwind to avoid hazardous vapors and toxic decomposition products. Dust from this material can form explosive organic dust cloud.
Extinguishing Media: Use water spray, dry chemical, "alcohol resistant" foam, or carbon dioxide.
Flash Point: 70 deg C ( 158.00 deg F)
Autoignition Temperature: 300 deg C ( 572.00 deg F)
Explosion Limits, Lower: 7.0 vol %
Upper: 73 vol %
NFPA Rating: (estimated) Health: 3; Flammability: 2; Instability: 1

Section 6 - Accidental Release Measures

General Information: Use proper personal protective equipment as indicated in Section 8.
Spills/Leaks: Vacuum or sweep up material and place into a suitable disposal container. Avoid generating dusty conditions. Remove all sources of ignition. Provide ventilation. A vapor suppressing foam may be used to reduce vapors. Approach spill from upwind. Keep unnecessary and unprotected personnel away.

Section 7 - Handling and Storage

Handling: Wash thoroughly after handling. Remove contaminated clothing and wash before reuse. Use with adequate ventilation. Minimize dust generation and accumulation. Ground and bond containers when transferring material. Do not get in eyes, on skin, or on clothing. Keep away from heat, sparks and flame. Avoid breathing dust. Avoid breathing vapor.
Storage: Keep away from sources of ignition. Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area away from incompatible substances. Keep containers tightly closed. Paraformaldehyde decomposes to formaldehyde vapor. Use precautions against formaldehyde exposure when opening containers or entering a poorly ventilated storage area.

Section 8 - Exposure Controls, Personal Protection

Engineering Controls: Facilities storing or utilizing this material should be equipped with an eyewash facility and a safety shower. Local exhaust may be necessary to control concentrations to acceptable levels. See 29CFR 1910.1048 for regulatory requirements pertaining to all occupational exposures to formaldehyde, i.e., from formaldehyde gas, its solutions, and materials that release formaldehyde.
Exposure Limits

Chemical Name	ACGIH	NIOSH	OSHA - Final PELs
Paraformaldehyde	none listed	none listed	none listed
Formaldehyde	0.3 ppm Ceiling	0.016 ppm TWA 20 ppm IDLH	0.75 ppm TWA; 0.5 ppm Action Level; 0.75 ppm TWA; 2 ppm STEL (Irritant and potential cancer ha zard - see 29 CFR 1910.1048)

OSHA Vacated PELs: Paraformaldehyde: No OSHA Vacated PELs are listed for this chemical. Formaldehyde: 3 ppm TWA (unless specified in 1910.1048)
Personal Protective Equipment
Eyes: Wear appropriate protective eyeglasses or chemical safety goggles as described by OSHA's eye and face protection regulations in 29 CFR 1910.133 or European Standard EN166.
Skin: Wear appropriate protective gloves to prevent skin exposure.
Clothing: Wear appropriate protective clothing to prevent skin exposure.
Respirators: A respiratory protection program that meets OSHA's 29 CFR 1910.134 and ANSI Z88.2 requirements or European Standard EN 149 must be followed whenever workplace conditions warrant respirator use.

Section 9 - Physical and Chemical Properties

Physical State: Powder
Appearance: white
Odor: formaldehyde - pungent odor
pH: Not available.
Vapor Pressure: 5 mm Hg @ 20 deg C
Vapor Density: 1.03 (air=1)
Evaporation Rate:Not available.
Viscosity: Not available.
Boiling Point: Decomposes
Freezing/Melting Point:120 - 170 deg C
Decomposition Temperature:260 deg C
Solubility: Slightly soluble.
Specific Gravity/Density:1.46
Molecular Formula:Polymer of CH2O
Molecular Weight:30.03

Section 10 - Stability and Reactivity

Chemical Stability: Stable. However, may decompose if heated.
Conditions to Avoid: Ignition sources, dust generation, excess heat.
Incompatibilities with Other Materials: Strong oxidizing agents, strong acids, strong bases.
Hazardous Decomposition Products: Carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, formaldehyde.
Hazardous Polymerization: Will not occur.

Section 11 - Toxicological Information

RTECS#:      
CAS# 30525-89-4: RV0540000      
CAS# 50-00-0: LP8925000
LD50/LC50:
CAS# 30525-89-4:
     Draize test, rabbit, eye: 100 mg Severe;
     Draize test, rabbit, skin: 500 mg/24H Severe;
     Inhalation, rat: LC50 = 1070 mg/m3/4H;
     Oral, rat: LD50 = 800 mg/kg;
.

CAS# 50-00-0:
     Draize test, rabbit, eye: 750 ug/24H Severe;
     Draize test, rabbit, eye: 750 ug Severe;
     Draize test, rabbit, eye: 10 mg Severe;
     Draize test, rabbit, eye: 37% Severe;
     Draize test, rabbit, skin: 2 mg/24H Severe;
     Draize test, rabbit, skin: 50 mg/24H Moderate;
     Inhalation, mouse: LC50 = 454 mg/m3/4H;
     Inhalation, mouse: LC50 = 505 mg/m3/2H;
     Inhalation, rat: LC50 = 203 mg/m3;
     Inhalation, rat: LC50 = 578 mg/m3/2H;
     Inhalation, rat: LC50 = 250 ppm/2H;
     Oral, mouse: LD50 = 42
Carcinogenicity:
CAS# 30525-89-4: Not listed by ACGIH, IARC, NTP, or CA Prop 65.
CAS# 50-00-0:

• ACGIH: A2 - Suspected Human Carcinogen
  
• California: carcinogen, initial date 1/1/88 (gas)
  
• NTP: Suspect carcinogen
  
• IARC: Group 1 carcinogen