Just the facts Ma’am… by Kraig W. Sturtz, MD


With a wide variety of chemicals surrounding us, do we adequately know what potential hazards are nearby? Look around your home, under your sinks, in your garage, your workshop, and finally your place of employment. Chances are there are a lot more chemical containers out there than you expected to find. Have you read the labels? Maybe on some, but not on each and every one. I have to admit, in this regard, I’m as guilty as the next person. Every now and then you will see a news report on how


someone mixed their pool chemicals or cleaning compounds incorrectly resulting in a toxic exposure. Unfortunately this can be fatal. Could these events be prevented? In my previous articles, I encouraged you to make a risk


assessment of your environment and to take responsibility by correcting any deficiencies. In addition to taking an inven- tory and reviewing the labels of the chemicals in your vicinity there is another helpful source of information to supplement the product labeling. These supplements are referred to as Material Safety Data Sheets or MSDS. If you work in a commercial environment it is a re-


quirement by law that there be an MSDS on any chemical that is used, handled or stored in that facility. Ideally, (some regulatory inspection agencies require) the MSDS are in proximity to the people handling those particular chemicals. Why do the regulatory agencies require these documents be immediately accessible? Let’s examine what information is typically provided in the MSDS and hopefully you will have better understanding. A Material Safety Data Sheet is broken down into mul-


tiple components including company contact information, emergency medical contact info (if needed), product identifi- cation, hazardous ingredients, physical/chemical character- istic, volatile organic compound content, fire and explosion data, reactivity data, health information (including first aid and information for health care workers), special protection data, and lastly spill and leak procedures. Not every MSDS has every element but if you review enough of these you will observe recurrent themes. The additional information found in MSDS can be


extremely useful. The reactivity data lets you know the over- all stability of the compound and which specific chemicals, if combined, are incompatible. Many MSDS provide information on Volatile Organic


Compounds. VOCs are a recurrent topic in the painting in- dustry. We all have heard this terminology, but what con- stitutes a VOC? VOCs are emitted as gasses from certain organic chemicals. The potential adverse health effects and environmental impact of VOCs are well documented. I won’t


get into how the VOC is calculated for a given compound but the higher the number the greater the potential impact. If you are mixing VOC containing compounds together the VOC value is additive but not necessarily proportional by vol- ume. An example would be the addition of reducer to water based paint. The water based paint by itself has a certain VOC value but if reducer is added according manufacturer directions you could potentially increase the VOC content by as much as 50%. Basically any chemical manufacturer can provide


you an MSDS on their products. Most can be obtained on- line. Some vendors even have direct links to MSDS at their websites and some include a written MSDS when they ship an item.


As it pertains to airbrushing, there are not too many


MSDS to review in order to become adequately informed. You should have one for each of the following: cleaning sol- vents (wax remover and degreaser), primer, paint, reducers, clear coat, and clear coat catalysts/hardeners. Depending on the other activities in your shop such as body work a few more may be needed. Keep copies in your shop next to your technical manuals. If an unusual situation arises you will be glad they were close at hand. Although each component of the MSDS is important


the health related information in my opinion is the most criti- cal. Medical conditions that can be exacerbated by exposure are listed (if known). In the event of significant unintended contact or respiratory exposure the first aid and medical information could prove vital. If accidental ingestion occurs there will be information on whether or not inducing vomiting is appropriate. The wrong decision here could make matters significantly worse if not potentially fatal. MSDS are just one more component to consider


in your overall shop safety strategy. They, of course, do not replace good old fashioned common sense. Remember the basics each and every time you paint including adequate ventilation, respiratory protection, barrier protection such as gloves as well as appropriate clothing and eye protection and hopefully you will never need to emergently refer to the MSDS.


About the Author:


Kraig is a board certified anatomic/clinical pathologist prac- ticing surgical pathology at Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. He has numerous hobbies including woodworking, stunt/trac- tion kiting, and of course, airbrushing. If you have an airbrush related safety/medical topic you would like to be considered for a future article in ABT please contact Kraig at airbrush- technique.com (drkws).


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