MSDS Material Safety Data Sheet A document that gives safety, toxicity, exposure, fire and disposal information for employees and businesses of a chemical substance.

OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Administration A federal agency for the protection of the United States of America workers that provides standards and guidelines to businesses. OSHA requires employers provide MSDS to employees.

MSDSs look mysteriously all alike! OSHA says employers must provide them, BUT doesn't say anything about providing training to understand or time to read MSDSs! Some specialized employers have very specific training: firefighters, EMS, police and other first responders.

THINGS to NOTE on MSDSs ·24 hr Emergency Phone Number ·Synonyms ·First Aid ·Fire Fighting ·Exposure Controls (Almost always identical) ·Physical Properties - Has info on ·chemical formula ·melting point or boiling point ·Stability ·Toxicology ·We will key in on this in a moment ·Ecology ·Disposal Transportation

TOXICOLOGY: Acute vs. Chronic Effects Acute means a single exposure, possibly a large dose Chronic means exposure over a long period of time or many short exposures, even at low dose.

LD50 LD stands for lethal dose. The 50 stands for 50% of specimens killed. ORL-RAT LD50: Oral ingested, fed to rats the amount in milligrams per each kilogram of the rat that killed 50% of them