Laserfiche WebLink
Under California law, your employer must tell you If you are working with <br /> methylene chloride, or other hazardous substances. If you think you may be <br /> exposed to It, ask to see the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for the <br /> product you are using. Your employer is required to have MSDS's for all <br /> products in the workplace that contain a hazardous substance, and must make <br /> them available to employees on request. An MSDS lists the chemical contents <br /> of a product, its health and safety hazards, and methods for using and storing <br /> it safely. <br /> HOW METHYLENE CHLORIDE ENTERS AND AFFECTS YOUR BODY <br /> Methylene chloride enters your body when you breathe it in the air. Small <br /> amounts can also be absorbed through your skin. Overexposure most commonly <br /> affects your skin, respiratory system, or nervous system. <br /> Skin: Methylene chloride evaporates quickly from bare skin, so it usually <br /> causes only mild Irritation. However, shoes, gloves, or tight clothes that <br /> get wet with methylene chloride can hold it against your skin and cause a <br /> burn. Paint removers are designed not to evaporate and so can also hold the <br /> methylene chloride they contain against the skin. Repeated skin contact can <br /> cause dermatitis (a rash) . <br /> Eyes. Nose, and Throat: Methylene chloride in the air at levels above about <br /> 500 parts per 1 million parts of air (500 ppm) may irritate your eyes, nose, <br /> or throat. if methylene chloride is splashed into your eyes, It may be very <br /> painful but it is unlikely to cause any permanent injury. <br /> Nervous System: Methylene chloride, like most organic solvents, affects your <br /> central nervous system (brain) the same way alcohol does. With increasing <br /> levels of exposure above about 500 ppm, these effects include feeling "high", <br /> sluggish, sleepy, Irritable, lightheaded, and dizzy, and having a headache. <br /> This increases your chances of having an accident. At higher levels of <br /> exposure, symptoms can include nausea, flushing, confusion, slurred speech, <br /> loss of balance and coordination, and even death. <br /> Though symptoms usually go away fairly rapidly after the exposure stops, <br /> organic solvents can cause long-term effects on the nervous system. This <br /> usually occurs only after frequent, lengthy exposure at fairly high levels. <br /> Symptoms include difficulty concentrating, memory loss, and emotional changes. <br /> Liver and Kidney: Based on animal tests and human experience, methylene <br /> chloride is not likely to damage the liver or kidney except in cases of <br /> extreme overexposure. <br /> ggproductive System: High exposure levels did not cause birth defects in the <br /> offspring of laboratory animals. Like many other organic solvents, methylene <br /> chloride can reach the human fetus through the placenta and can enter human <br /> breast milk. Your exposure should be minimized if you are pregnant or breast- <br /> feeding. <br /> Cancer: Methylene chloride causes cancer in laboratory animals. Whether it <br /> can cause cancer in humans has not been adequately studied. However, based on <br /> the animal tests, methylene chloride should be treated as a potential cancer- <br /> causing substance. <br /> A Note on Carbon Monoxide: Methylene chloride breaks down Into carbon <br /> monoxide (CO) in your body. CO prevents your blood from carrying oxygen to <br />