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What is UP with the MSDS? (What is it and what does it mean to me?)



MSDS stands for: Material Safety Data Sheet

It is intended to provide workers with all vital information about a product they are handling: melting point, boiling point, toxicity, first aid, etc.

Most final products (like a refrigerator) do not require an MSDS. Chemicals and products in liquid form usually do.

A safety data sheet is not intended for the final consumer- more for the person installing or working with the product in an occupational setting.

Every country has different standards for what must be explored and declared on an MSDS. The EU, for example requires more ecotoxicity information than the US. And Canada considers different chemicals mandatory for listing.

Of course all nations permit proprietary withholding to protect a company’s recipe.

In the US, OSHA oversees MSDS creation and so it is OSHA I pick a fight with now. In pursuing the Living Building Challenge, every product that we put in our structure needs to be vetted to ensure it includes no red list ingredients. The red list ingredients are:
  • ·      Asbestos
  • ·      Cadmium
  • ·      Chlorinated Polyethylene and Chlorosulfonated Polyethylene
  • ·      Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
  • ·      Chloroprene (Neoprene)
  • ·      Formaldehyde (added)
  • ·      Halogenated Flame Retardants
  • ·      Hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)
  • ·      Lead (added)
  • ·      Mercury
  • ·      Petrochemical Fertilizers and Pesticides
  • ·      Phthalates
  • ·      Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
  • ·      Wood treatments containing Creosote, Arsenic or Pentachlorophenol



As you can see, they are pretty nasty stuff. While some of the red list ingredients are directly known as carcinogens, others (like PVC) have toxic by-products during manufacturing.

To my initial surprise, most products we began to research did not have these ingredients listed in the MSDS. But wait, when you look at what the % of total product the ingredients listed add up to- it has been as little as 1 or 5 percent. HOW does that tell me what is in your product?

The simple answer: it doesn’t. And manufacturers have told me directly that they don’t have to tell me. There is no requirement to design a product through the end of it’s life- so why would they care if the toxic stuff leaks or is exposed during it’s useful life or recycling?

The law only requires the company to list hazardous ingredients if there is a risk of you immediately coming into contact with it. If something is delivered as a final product or article, they do not even need an MSDS. This is pretty short sighted, to say the least.

There are companies trying to change the way this works- Cradle to Cradle provides some more in depth analysis of products; as does the Declare label by the Living Future Institute. But these are voluntary and the majority of companies already have their products on the market. They are doing their harm while the corporations rake in the cash. There isn’t much incentive to voluntarily subject your company and your product to rigorous review.

What ever happened to the precautionary principle? If you can’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt this product does NOT hurt any ecosystem or person throughout it’s life, it doesn’t get licensed for manufacture. How did it become the burden of the EPA and the federal government to chase after products and research things already in production to deem if they are dangerous? Once it’s out in the system, you may stop it from doing as much damage- but the problems are already out there.

OSHA, the EPA, the US Government, and The People need to gather together and tell corporations they will NOT make money at the expense of my health, my planet, and my children’s future!

The chair or couch you are sitting on while reading this blog could have hazardous chemicals in the dies, glues, and sealants. The computer you’re reading this on may not be recyclable and will sit in a ‘sanitary’ landfill for the next 1,000 years. The paper cup you drink your morning coffee from could have bleach and chlorine that leaches when it comes in contact with heat. And it’s your right to assume that what you buy is SAFE.


Write your Congressperson, ask organizations like Citizen’s Climate Lobby how you can acquire skills from them to get involved. And start caring about what companies are feeding you!
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