Topic: Google MSDS Search

[Bonk]

 

There is a need for it.

Or perhaps SDS search after GHS?

The problem is that many manufacturers are protective of their MSDSs and hide them behind download scripts to prevent scraping I assume (pretty much what I intend to do). So that they do not index well, if at all. Also, currently Google has no intelligence on  preferred / primary manufacturer MSDSs.

Any subscription MSDS databases out there are pretty incomplete, and besides, they are subscription.

It would be awesome if PubChem would add reputable manufacturer (M)SDSs to their database, or the facility for users to upload and validate them.

I notice wikipedia has more and more chemical listings. That's great , but it's wikipedia. (Great for CAS# collisions as www.commonchemistry.org (ACS) does not list them all for some weak excuse.

We need a complete, current, stable, long-lived, maintained, global and accurate index of MSDSs and CAS#s on the public internet with traditional hard links to information that can be downloaded or scraped.

It should have been part of the mandate of GHS.

One complete chemical database.... sigh. I can dream. Actually, it's a good dream and a realistic one. There is so much duplicated effort. This is exactly what the internet is for. Maybe I can help build it, or lobby to get it started or something.

Actually I just noticed our own OHS CAS# index is far larger than the ACS's:
http://ccinfoweb.ccohs.ca/chemindex/search.html (200000 here vs 7900 from the ACS).

[marstone]

it would make sense for it to be easier to get to.   By law here in the states a buisness has to have the MSDS of any chemical used.  (A cabinet shop I worked in had a MSDS on sawdust)

[Bonk]

A friend of mine who worked at a saw mill was informed by his doctor that he had about a half cup of sawdust in his lungs. Large quantities of fine hardwood sawdust under the right conditions could make an excellent dust explosion.

The funny MSDS for me is the one for water!

Some choice bits...:

First aid measures:
Eye Contact: Flush eyes with water as a precaution.
Skin Contact: Rinse with water.
Inhalation: Move to fresh air. If breathing is difficult, give oxygen.
Ingestion: Do not induce vomiting. Obtain medical attention.
Notes to Physician: Treat symptomatically.

Environmental Precautions: Should not be released into the environment.

Toxicology: Oral Rat LD50: 90 mL/kg

I can see a bad loop here - Oh no I got water on me! The MSDS says to rinse with water... OK. Damn! I got more water on me... the MSDS says to rinse with water... OK.. etc. etc...

Oops! I keep letting it go down the sink!

Doctor, I got water on me and I'm worried I might be poisoned.
Doctor: take two of these anti-water-poison pills and call me in the morning.

 


And going by the rat oral LD₅₀, I could commit suicide by drinking 8.2 L of water... seems a little low. But I suppose if it was pure and all 8L at once... perhaps this is an example of an LD50 that does not scale well... How many liters of water did that woman who died in that contest drink? (granted not pure water - the difference with pure water being that it will suck all the more salts out of the rest of your body into the digestive tract by osmostic pressure  - I guess producing nervous system collapse? - I have never seen acute water toxicity - I suppose I never want to for that matter either)...

[marstone]

lol, yep.

take two anti-water poison pills, with a full glass of water.

[Nemesis]

MSDS for dihydrogen monoxide

On my old job I gave that MSDS to a couple of our chemists, one recognized the formula the other didn't.  I also posted the MSDS for caffeine on the coffee machine (highlighted the caffeine induced psychosis part first).