Understanding MSDS & Creating Safety Data Tables

Finding Chemical Information & Creating a Safety Data Table: 

Finding Chemical Information & Creating a Safety Data Table

Why do we need to know this?: 

Why do we need to know this? Household Chemical Hazards Food ingredients Hazard and handling information

CRC Handbook of Chemistry & Physics : 

CRC Handbook of Chemistry & Physics Comprehensive reference of physical data and constants Over 2,000 pages Very useful when conducting research Limited safety information for individual compounds

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS): 

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) Written document that provides users and emergency personnel with information on how to handle chemicals Provides info on proper storage , first aid , spill response , disposal , and flammability of a chemical

Using the MSDS Sheet Important Sections: 

Using the MSDS Sheet Important Sections Section(s) 1 : Chemical Name Manufacturer’s Info CHEMTREC Emergency Phone Number Section 2: Composition (important if it’s a mixture) Chemical Abstract Service Number (CAS#) Section 3 : Hazard Information Look for key words like “irritant”, “toxic”, “corrosive”, “flammable”, “poison” NFPA Diamond/Hazards at-a-glance

Slide 6: 

Section 4 : First Aid Info What to do for different types of exposure Section 9 : Physical/Chemical Properties Physical description Formula/Formula Weight Solubility, density, etc. Section 11: Toxicological Information Look for key words (see previous slide) LD 50 – Lethal Dose (50%)

Safety Data Table (SDT): 

Safety Data Table (SDT) SDT’s present relevant information about the chemicals being used in an experiment Chemical name & formula Hazards associated with the chemicals Important physical & chemical properties (color, smell, state, reactivity)

Setting up a Safety Data Table (SDT): 

Setting up a Safety Data Table (SDT) Create a table Lab notebook  Handwritten Lab report  Typed (table in Word) Characteristics listed as column headers Each chemical is on its own row References should be numbered & listed beneath table

Guidelines for Safety Data Tables: 

Guidelines for Safety Data Tables Use a straight-edge to create hand-drawn tables Leave enough space in categories that will require more information (i.e. – Hazards, Physical Description/Properties) Units (Temperatures, Masses, etc.) Formulas (subscripts) Press Ctrl +/= Table should fit on one page