Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
How to Find Information About Hazardous Chemicals in Your Home
Material Data Safety Sheets are not intended for to define consumer use; however, they are a good resource for learning about the chemicals in your home.
If you are interested in protecting your family by ensuring that their exposure to hazardous and harsh chemicals is limited, then it is useful to look at a material safety data sheet (MSDS). However, before one looks at a MSDS it is helpful to know what a MSDS contains and the purpose of the document.
What is a MSDS
A material safety data sheet is a document that provides workers and emergency personnel the information needed to safely handle a particular material or substance. The Occupational and Safety Health Administration (OSHA) document The OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) lists what businesses are required to include on the MSDS. The information contained in a standard MSDS includes: physical data such as melting point, boiling point, flash point etc.; health data such as toxicity, health effects, first aid; and other important information such as reactivity, storage, disposal, protective equipment, and spill/leak procedures.
The Purpose of a MSDS
Material safety data sheets are intended for use by manufacturers (employers), employees, and emergency personnel. This information is provided so that people know how to properly store and dispose of a particular material; are aware of the risks of exposure in the work place; and are able to treat over-exposure and medical issues related to the material.
A MSDS is not intended for consumers. It is specifically for those who work with a substance in massive quantities and in an occupational capacity. However, the Household Products Database created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services uses information from the manufacturer’s MSDS to create their database.
Why Look at a MSDS
While material safety data sheets are not intended for consumer use, they are helpful for the consumer in deciding what they wish to expose themselves and their families to. While the exposure to a substance in one cleaning product may not produce toxic results, the contribution of that cleaning product to the family’s overall exposure may be the amount that tips the scale from a safe exposure to a toxic exposure.
Paracelsus (1493-1541) an early alchemist and physician wrote "All things are poison and nothing is without poison, only the dose permits something not to be poisonous." How much of a substance we are exposed to can determine whether it is beneficial or harmful. Even water, one of the healthiest substances for the body, can kill a person if too much is consumed too quickly. This condition is known as water intoxication, which clearly implies that the amount of water consumed was toxic.
Consequently, while the government may approve a household cleaner because the levels in it pose no threat when used according to the manufacturer’s instructions, they cannot evaluate your overall exposure. Evaluating your overall exposure and the acceptability of that exposure is entirely up to the individual.
People must take responsibility and quit relying on the government to protect them.
How to Find a MSDS
While manufacturers are not required to place MSDS on the internet, they are required to make material data safety sheets easily accessible to everyone who needs to use one. The most expedient way to provide the information is to make it available on the internet. As a result, most material safety data sheets can be found through your search engine.
To find the MSDS type the name of the product you are interested in and the phrase material safety data sheet or the acronym MSDS into your search engine and you will probably find what you are looking for. If you cannot find the MSDS through a search engine, consider contacting the manufacturer directly.
