What is a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)?

MSDS is the English abbreviation of Material Safety Data Sheet , and MSDS is often translated into chemical safety data sheets. It is a comprehensive regulatory document on chemical characteristics provided by chemical production, trading, and sales enterprises to downstream customers and the public in accordance with legal requirements. It provides sixteen items, including physical and chemical parameters of chemicals, explosion performance, health hazards, safe use and storage, spill disposal, first aid measures, and related laws and regulations. ^[1]

MSDS report

MSDS is the English abbreviation of Material Safety Data Sheet , and MSDS is often translated into chemical safety data sheets. It is a comprehensive regulatory document on chemical characteristics provided by chemical production, trading, and sales enterprises to downstream customers and the public in accordance with legal requirements. It provides sixteen items, including physical and chemical parameters of chemicals, explosion performance, health hazards, safe use and storage, spill disposal, first aid measures, and related laws and regulations. ^[1]

MSDS contents recommended by the National Standards Institute ANSI and ISO:

Section 1. Chemical Product & Company Information

Item 1: Chemical name and manufacturer information

Section 2. Composition / Information on Ingredients

Item 2: Chemical composition information

Section 3. Hazards Identification

Item 3: Hazard Information

Section 4. First Aid Measures

Item 4: First aid measures

Section 5. Fire Fighting Measures

Item 5: Fire Fighting Measures

Section 6. Accidental Release Measures

Item 6: Emergency Response to Leakage

Section 7. Handling and Storage

Item 7: Handling and storage

Section 8. Exposure Controls / Personal Protection

Item 8: Exposure controls and personal protection measures

Section 9. Physical and Chemical Properties

Ninth item: physical and chemical properties

Section 10. Stability and Reactivity

Item ten: stability and reactivity

Section 11. Toxicological Information

Item 11: Toxicological Information

Section 12. Ecological Information

Item 12: Ecological Information

Section 13. Disposal Considerations

Item 13: Disposal

Section 14. Transport Information

Item 14: Transport Information

Section 15. Regulatory Information

Item 15: Regulatory Information

Section 16. Other Information

Item 16: Other information ^[2]

1) Basic requirements for writing MSDS?

a) The format must be standardized, and the content in the SDS must be arranged in strict accordance with the guidelines for the preparation of regulations or standards;

b) the material information must be consistent with the real product;

c) accurate classification, complete information, standardized language and conciseness;

2) How is the confidential component information handled when the MSDS is written?

For the components in the mixture that the supplier needs to keep confidential, the real name and CAS number of the component may not be written according to the specific circumstances that need to be kept confidential, but the dangers should be listed in the relevant part of the SDS.

3) How to obtain relevant information when MSDS is written?

A complete SDS requires 16 partial components, all of which are indispensable. Therefore, the acquisition of information is very important, and the most difficult parts are Part 2, Part 9, and Part 14, respectively.

Among them, the second part of the danger label and the fourth part of the transportation information need to be identified by professionals or institutions. The basis of the appraisal is through reading a large number of relevant regulations, conducting some tests, and querying and analyzing a large number of databases. Therefore, the professional requirements of personnel are very high; the second is the physical and chemical properties of Section 9. The information in this section is generally obtained through experiments or related databases. The data obtained through experiments are preferred.

4) What are the difficulties in writing MSDS?

Difficulties in writing SDS are mainly reflected in: ignorance of regulations, insufficient professional knowledge, lack of data information, no data source (excessive test cost), too long time to write, improper use of language content, etc. ^[3]

MSDS (Chemical Safety Data Sheet) is the most basic technical document for transmitting product safety information. Its main functions are reflected in:

1. Provide hazard information about chemicals and protect users of chemical products

2. To ensure safe operation and provide technical information for the development of safe operating procedures for hazardous chemicals

3. Provide technical information to facilitate emergency assistance and emergency response

4. Guide the safe production, safe circulation and safe use of chemicals

5. An important foundation and source of information for chemical registration management

MSDS effect

In international trade, the quality of MSDS is an important indicator of a company's strength, image and management level. High-quality chemical products with high-quality MSDS are bound to increase more business opportunities. Let experts with international standards help you compile. A high-level MSDS is critical to the success of trade promotion. It is an effective corporate image promotion. Relatively speaking, the cost is not high.

· International version of ISO

· EEC version (EU)

· OSHA version (US)

· ANSI version (US)

· WHMIS (Canada)

·Chinese version

· Various formats (html, PDF, doc, etc.)

· ^[4]

Difficulties in the preparation of MSDS reports

In addition to the physical and chemical properties of the test chemical, the toxicological data of the test chemical is too expensive. If a chemical is a compound or has additives or reaction by-products, it is difficult for the compiler to make a correct assessment of the toxicological properties of the product. If the MSDS provided by the supplier is wrong or inaccurate, or intentionally conceals harmful information, resulting in personal injury or environmental pollution to the user, the user often requires the MSDS provider to bear the corresponding legal responsibility.

The MSDS must be prepared in accordance with the laws and regulations on hazardous chemicals in the buyer's country. However, different countries and even different states of the same country (for example, the United States) have different requirements for MSDS. At the same time, some data or lists also change frequently (for example, ACGIH publishes new exposure thresholds once a year, and NTP publishes new carcinogen lists every two years), making it more difficult to compile MSDSs that meet requirements. ^[7]

MSDS report preparation

At present, domestic non-hazardous chemicals do not need to compile MSDS, but many materials have been found to have potential effects after years of use, and these effects are likely to be irreversible toxicity. In addition, foreign countries require that almost all chemicals require MSDS, so it is recommended that companies also do MSDS for non-hazardous chemicals in order to cause unnecessary impact in the future. ^[8]

MSDS reports cautious plagiarism

At present, many domestic chemical manufacturers mainly use two methods to compile MSDS (SDS): one is to copy the MSDS (SDS) of the same product from a large foreign company; MSDS (SDS), and then change it to the MSDS of your own product (in fact, even if you do not buy the seller's product, as long as you request it, generally foreign companies will provide the MSDS of their product).

The first method may have two problems: first, the toxicity data (LD50) of similar chemicals may be very different, and the impact on human health and the environment is different; second, if the online MSDS (SDS) is a few years ago Published, the corresponding data or regulations are likely to have been updated.

The second method does not have the above problems, but if your product is a mixture, it is generally difficult for you to find a company with the exact same product abroad. Even if there are, the legal provisions of the seller's products may not meet the requirements of your buyer's country. ^[9]