17/10/2008
Safety data sheets (SDS) accompanying hazardous chemicals are a muddle, reveals workplace health journal Santé et Travail. Its October issue reports on the findings of a study of 1762 SDS done by Annie Chalons, an occupational health doctor working in an inter-company service in the town of Bourges (central France). Specifically, she compared the data from two headings in relation to toxicity for human reproduction: heading 2 (the concentrations of toxins in the product composition), and heading 15 (the labels and risk phrases that the product should carry).

The findings speak for themselves: while 116 safety data sheets showed reprotoxins in the ingredients, only 29 mentioned the reprotoxins warning label. And even among these 116, the concentrations of reprotoxic ingredients were not specified nearly six times out of ten. And in most cases where they were, they turned out to be above the levels for which a specific label is required.

Source: Santé et Travail, No. 64, October 2008