I was going to post the following in the "Marvel Mystery Oil" thread in response to a post, but concluded it has more relevance as a stand-alone thread. My suspicion is that, in regards to most additives, and certainly for typical oil and fuel additives, the MSDS will tell us most of what we need to know about what makes a product tick.
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MolaKule: As always, muchas gracias for your thoughtful feedback. By the way, I doubt if folks comment on this enough (including myself), but thanks for all the great insight you moderators provide on all the vehicle-related info that pops up in these boards. We all like to play "junior chemist" and "wannabe engineer," but it's great to have some career, professional "chemheads" and "gearheads" to jump in when the rest of us attempt to inject our sometimes fuzzy logic.
You got my curiosity goin' about the lesser known aspects of MSDS reporting requirements, and as an occupational safety administrator, I felt obliged to look into this further. Here's some of what I came up with, based in part on the link below:
-As one would expect, all health-hazardous chemicals must be listed as an ingredient on an MSDS.
-Also, chemicals which pose a physical hazard (combustible, cryogenic, reactive, corrosive, oxidizing, etc.) must be listed.
-"Secret" or proprietary chemicals need not be listed by name, but nonetheless must be listed if hazardous in some way. A generic moniker of some sort must be used if the actual name/identity is to be kept secret. Examples of generic monikers might include "Proprietary," "Component A," or "Proprietary Petroleum Compound."
-The other reporting requirements (health hazards, protective gear, first aid, etc.) are the same for proprietary chemicals as for common chemicals. A firm attempting the Sgt. Schultz "I know nothing!" won't fly -- proprietary incredients must be an open book, with only their name/identity kept secret.
-Volume of a given chemical, by percentage, ratio, or otherwise, is not required for any chemical.
-One last thing I wasn't aware of. Even if a product is secret, by law its identity (and composition I presume) must be disclosed to any medical provider who requests same for emergency medical treatment. Also, if an employer requires the chemical identity for legitimate health-related purposes, such as workplace air sampling, it must be divulged, even if a trade secret.
SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO US WRENCH-HEADS: For starters, most solvents, oils, or other petroleum products one can put in a fuel/oil additive will likely be combustible, a physical hazard. Therefore it has to be listed on the MSDS. If a chemical can potentially injure someone by inhalation, ingestion, injection, or skin absorption, it poses a health hazard, and must be listed. What DOESN'T need to be listed? Random examples might include water, anything that can be considered a food, stuff like that, as well as the most innocuous of chemcicals. The biggest hurdle to us junior chemists is that THE CHEMICAL PERCENTAGES NEED NOT BE LISTED. Luckily, most firms seem to nonetheless do so, even if in percentage ranges like "Contains 10-30% Naphtha."
In short, I believe more than ever that MSDSs can help us sort out the snake oils from the good stuff, and also give some good insight into how these products work. That is, assuming firms don't blow off the requirements of the law and spew out "MSDS lite"... Comments by other junior chemists (and real ones like MolaKule) are more than appreciated!
[ December 18, 2003, 05:38 PM: Message edited by: TC ]
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MolaKule: As always, muchas gracias for your thoughtful feedback. By the way, I doubt if folks comment on this enough (including myself), but thanks for all the great insight you moderators provide on all the vehicle-related info that pops up in these boards. We all like to play "junior chemist" and "wannabe engineer," but it's great to have some career, professional "chemheads" and "gearheads" to jump in when the rest of us attempt to inject our sometimes fuzzy logic.
You got my curiosity goin' about the lesser known aspects of MSDS reporting requirements, and as an occupational safety administrator, I felt obliged to look into this further. Here's some of what I came up with, based in part on the link below:
-As one would expect, all health-hazardous chemicals must be listed as an ingredient on an MSDS.
-Also, chemicals which pose a physical hazard (combustible, cryogenic, reactive, corrosive, oxidizing, etc.) must be listed.
-"Secret" or proprietary chemicals need not be listed by name, but nonetheless must be listed if hazardous in some way. A generic moniker of some sort must be used if the actual name/identity is to be kept secret. Examples of generic monikers might include "Proprietary," "Component A," or "Proprietary Petroleum Compound."
-The other reporting requirements (health hazards, protective gear, first aid, etc.) are the same for proprietary chemicals as for common chemicals. A firm attempting the Sgt. Schultz "I know nothing!" won't fly -- proprietary incredients must be an open book, with only their name/identity kept secret.
-Volume of a given chemical, by percentage, ratio, or otherwise, is not required for any chemical.
-One last thing I wasn't aware of. Even if a product is secret, by law its identity (and composition I presume) must be disclosed to any medical provider who requests same for emergency medical treatment. Also, if an employer requires the chemical identity for legitimate health-related purposes, such as workplace air sampling, it must be divulged, even if a trade secret.
SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO US WRENCH-HEADS: For starters, most solvents, oils, or other petroleum products one can put in a fuel/oil additive will likely be combustible, a physical hazard. Therefore it has to be listed on the MSDS. If a chemical can potentially injure someone by inhalation, ingestion, injection, or skin absorption, it poses a health hazard, and must be listed. What DOESN'T need to be listed? Random examples might include water, anything that can be considered a food, stuff like that, as well as the most innocuous of chemcicals. The biggest hurdle to us junior chemists is that THE CHEMICAL PERCENTAGES NEED NOT BE LISTED. Luckily, most firms seem to nonetheless do so, even if in percentage ranges like "Contains 10-30% Naphtha."
In short, I believe more than ever that MSDSs can help us sort out the snake oils from the good stuff, and also give some good insight into how these products work. That is, assuming firms don't blow off the requirements of the law and spew out "MSDS lite"... Comments by other junior chemists (and real ones like MolaKule) are more than appreciated!
[ December 18, 2003, 05:38 PM: Message edited by: TC ]
