Report: Safety Data Sheets Come Up Short

Jan. 18, 2023
A study shows that one-third of SDSs include inaccuracies and omissions.

An analysis of over 650 safety data sheets (SDSs) finds that 30% included inaccurate chemical hazard warnings, according to a study from BlueGreen Alliance/Clearya.

A significant number of SDS omissions concerned carcinogens. Thirty carcinogenic substances were present in 512 of the obtained SDSs, and 15% of these SDSs failed to report carcinogenicity in the Hazards Identification section. For example, in an SDS for vinyl chloride—a known human carcinogen — the SDS warned of skin, eye, and respiratory irritation but lacked any mention of cancer. Another SDS for benzene — which should warn of its mutagenicity, carcinogenicity, and specific target organ toxicity — only reported skin and eye irritation and harmfulness if swallowed, contacted with skin, or inhaled. The SDS failed to mention the other highly hazardous effects of this well-studied chemical.

“The chemical industry says that workers and employers can rely on SDSs to protect workers from cancer and other health problems. But that depends on the sheets being accurate, and many clearly aren’t,” says BlueGreen Alliance Vice President of Health Initiatives Charlotte Brody in a recent press release. “Employers, unions, investors, and government officials need to take action now to make workplaces and communities safer and build the foundation for a market that favors genuinely safer chemical products. Too many workers are sick and too many workers are dying because of chemical exposures at work.”

Read the full report -- Obstructing the Right to Know: A Bluegreen Alliance/Clearya Analysis Of The Chemical Industry’s Health Hazard Warnings On Safety Data Sheets.

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