Finding Chemical Data

Finding Chemical Data

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How can you find the health, safety, and environmental information you need to evaluate janitorial products? Sometimes you can get enough just by reading product material safety data sheets (MSDS). However, you may also need to look elsewhere to get a complete picture.

Chemical Information Sources

Product Labels

Product MSDSs

Manufacturer's Customer
Service Desk

Ingredient MSDSs

Ingredient Risk Studies

Ingredient Health Studies

Product Label - Container labels begin to tell the story of how to use the product safely. However, limited space means that some information may be left out. Some manufacturers offer paper copies of their labels that are often easier to read.

Product MSDS - Call the supplier to request a current MSDS if you did not get one when you purchased the product. Do the same thing if you have any MSDS that is over two years old. Upon reading it, does this MSDS tell you what you need to know? Be wary of what you read. Although OSHA specifies what information must appear, not all MSDSs are complete nor are they necessarily accurate.

Customer Service - Call the manufacturer if you cannot find what you need to know on the MSDS. For example, ask if the product you are using contains any alkyl phenol ethoxylate, a chemical that damages human and animal hormone systems. If the service desk cannot answer your questions, then talk to a chemist in the manufacturer's research or production departments.

Ingredient Data - Some suppliers have very limited chemical information, particularly when their products are formulated and labeled in their behalf by another firm. If the supplier cannot answer your questions about product safety, then consider researching the ingredients yourself.

Our opinions about certain high-risk ingredients are discussed on our Janitorial Product Risk Evaluation page.

MSDS Section	Title	What To Look For
1	Product Identification	Product name and number Manufacturer's phone number
2	Ingredients	List of all ingredients (not just those required by OSHA) Percentage of each ingredient CAS identification number
3	Health Hazards	Risks to eyes, skin, lungs Risk of absorbing through skin Risk of poisoning & other long-term effects
4	Special Protection	Need for gloves, goggles, and ventilation
5	Physical Data	pH Vapor pressure of more than 20
6	Fire Data	Flammability
7	Reactivity Data	Things to keep this product away from
8	Spill Response	What to do with wastes
9	Special Precautions	Highest risks from using the product
10	Regulations	Shipping and labeling requirements
Note: Some newer MSDSs have 16 sections.

Information	Sources	Comments
MSDS	Manufacturer	Call a firm that makes basic chemical ingredients, or check their web site. The following web sites are good starting places for chemical ingredient data: ChemFinder.com Vermont SIRI MSDS J.T. Baker Index of MSDS Canadian Network of Toxicology Centres
Risk Ratings	US EPA Environmental Defense Fund Purdue University	http://www.epa.gov/ngispgm3.iris/ http://www.epa.gov/epahom/search.html http://www.scorecard.org/chemical-profiles/ http://www.ecn.purdue.edu/CMTI/
Health Studies	US New Jersey Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety	http://mail.odsnet.com/TRIFacts/ http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/homepage.html http://www.state.nj.us/health/eoh/rtkweb/rtkhsfs.htm ftp://alternatives.com/libs/envchem.htm
General Information	OSHA	OSHA's Hazardous & Toxic Substances website This site provides general information about hazardous and toxic substances and links to related technical information sites for things like hazard evaluations, protective equipment, compliance and training.

Where To Get More Information - General information about product safety appears in "Cleaning & Maintenance Management", "Services", and other trade magazines. Some of these publications also list their articles on the internet. For example, refer to www.cmmonline.com

You should also consider contacting your health department, county hospital, or local sewer agency. If you review a lot of chemical products it might also make sense to retain the services of an industrial hygiene professional.

Janitorial Products Pollution Prevention Project - Sponsored by US EPA, State of California, Santa Clara County, the City of Richmond, and the Local Government Commission. Written by Thomas Barron, Carol Berg, and Linda Bookman. 7/99.