About This Archive | DCHAS-L 2004 Index | DCHAS-L Yearly Index | DCHAS-L Home Page
I guess I'd better get into this and try to be helpful. there are ways to determine whether or not an MSDS is probably either defective or reliable: Look for internal contradictions and for meaningless statements. As one example, "non-volatile" assertion in one place and a statement elsewhere that the vapor pressure at ordinary temperatures is, say, "100 mm." As another, "Use with impervious gloves." with no further clarification. Several other examples of internal contradictions and meaningless statements can be found in Chapter 2 of my book, Improving Safety in the Chemical Laboratory; A Practical Guide, Wiley Interscience, 2nd edition, 1991. (Excuse the plug.) Or for the hazards of a chemical in plain English, see the "CLIPs" published each month in the Journal of Chemical Education Jay Young