WHMIS (Ethylene oxide)

Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System

WHMIS 2015 classification - Note to reader

• Flammable gases - Category 1
• Flammable limit - concentration range = 96 % (3-99)
• Lower flammable limit = 3 %

• Gases under pressure - Liquefied gas1

• Acute toxicity - inhalation - Category 32 3

• Skin corrosion/irritation - Category 1C

• Serious eye damage/eye irritation - Category 14 5

• Germ cell mutagenicity - Category 1B4 5

• Carcinogenicity - Category 1B2 6 7 8

• Reproductive toxicity - Category 1B2 5 7 9 10
• Toxic to the reproductive function

• Reproductive toxicity - Category 24 5
• Toxic to the development

• Specific target organ toxicity - single exposure (respiratory tract irritation) - Category 3 - Respiratory tract irritation2 7 9

• Specific target organ toxicity - repeated exposure - Category 12 5

Danger

Extremely flammable gas (H220)
Contains gas under pressure; may explode if heated (H280)
Toxic if inhaled (H331)
Causes severe skin burns and eye damage (H314)
May cause genetic defects (H340)
May cause cancer (H350)
May damage fertility or the unborn child (H360)
Suspected of damaging fertility or the unborn child (H361)
May cause respiratory irritation (H335)
Causes damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure (H372)

Ingredient disclosure

References

• ▲1.  Nations-Unies, «Partie 4 - Dispositions relatives à l'utilisation des emballages et des citernes - Liste des instructions d'emballage.» In: Recommandations relatives au transport des marchandises dangereuses - Règlement type - Dix-huitième édition révisée . New-York, N.Y. : United Nations. (2013). ST/SG/AC.10/1/rev. 18 (Vol. II). [MO-026856]   http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/danger/publi/unrec/rev18/French/Rev18f_Volume2.pdf
  http://www.unece.org/fr/trans/danger/publi/unrec/rev18/18files_f.html
• ▲2.  France. Institut national de recherche et de sécurité, Fiche toxicologique no 70 : Oxyde d'éthylène. Cahiers de notes documentaires. Paris : INRS. (2006).   http://www.inrs.fr/publications/bdd/fichetox.html
  http://www.inrs.fr/publications/bdd/fichetox/fiche.html?refINRS=FICHETOX_70
• ▲3.  Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, List of MAK and BAT Values 2011 : commission for the investigation of health hazards of chemical compounds in the work area. Report no. 46. Weinheim : Wiley-VCH. (2011). [RM-515093]   http://www.dfg.de
• ▲4.  European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), CLH report. Proposal for Harmonised Classification and Labelling. Substance Name : Ethylene oxide, oxirane. Vienne : Environment Agency Austria. (2016). 3.   http://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/4e5b7970-8517-02ef-c757-8f62097fbc10
• ▲5.  European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), Committee for Risk Assessment, RAC Opinion : proposing harmonised classification and labelling at EU level of ethylene oxide; oxirane. Finlande. (2017). CLH-O-0000001412-86-164/F.   http://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/d82894c8-9cf1-2c16-d3e6-40cad6ae534f
• ▲6.  Règlement sur la santé et la sécurité du travail [S-2.1, r. 13]. Québec : Éditeur officiel du Québec. [RJ-510071]   http://legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca/fr/ShowDoc/cr/S-2.1,%20r.%2013
• ▲7.  American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, Documentation of the threshold limit values and biological exposure indices / Documentation of TLV's and BEI's. 7th ed. Cincinnati, Ohio : ACGIH. (2001-). Publication #0100Doc. [RM-514008]   http://www.acgih.org
• ▲8.  IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, A Review of Human Carcinogens: Chemical Agents and Related Occupations. IARC monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans, Vol. 100F. Lyon : International Agency for Research on Cancer. (2012).   http://monographs.iarc.fr/
  http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol100F/index.php
• ▲9.  Centre canadien d'hygiène et de sécurité au travail, CHEMINFO, Hamilton, Ont. : Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety   http://ccinfoweb.ccohs.ca/cheminfo/search.html
• ▲10.  International Programme on Chemical Safety, Ethylene oxide. Concise International Chemical Assessment . Genève : World Health Organization. (2003). CICAD 54. [MO-128528]   http://www.inchem.org/pages/cicads.html

The [number] refers to the Information SST database of the CNESST Documentation Center.