Ingredients: Lists the ingredients of the product and their proportions or concentrations in a mixture

D. G. Class: Dangerous Goods Class refers to the health and safety hazards of the substance, eg DG 8 is a flammable substance

Subsidiary Risk: is shown if the material has another significant hazard in addition to the primary hazard.

Packaging Group: is another subset of the D G Code. D G of Class 3, 4, 5, 6.1, 8, and 9 are further divided into three groups according to the degree of risk:

HAZCHEM: The HAZCHEM code provides information for fire fighters/emergency teams on best fire-fighting medium, risk of violent reaction, personal protection, spillage control, and need to evacuate nearby community.

Poisons Schedule: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) schedule number defines the level of retail restriction of material.

B. Physical Properties
Appearance: Provides a description of the material’s physical state, colour and odour.

Boiling Point: This gives a strong indication of the likely vapour concentration above a liquid

Melting Point: Is the temperature at which the material converts from a solid to a liquid

Specific Gravity (sg): The density of a liquid relative to water (water sg=1). A water immiscible floats on water if its sg<1, but sinks if its sg > 1. The sg also refers to the weight, eg 1L of Acetone (sg=0.79) weighs 0.79kg.

Vapour Pressure: is the pressure of vapour in equilibrium with the liquid at a given temperature. The data allows a calculation of the saturated vapour concentration from the liquid in the absence of ventilation.

= 24%

This figure can be usefully compared to the lower explosive limit and the occupational exposure standard.

Flash Point: The temperature at which a flammable liquid will have sufficiently high vapour pressure to burn (ie reach its lower flammability limit)

Flammable (explosive) Limit: The range of concentration of a flammable vapour in air that will burn or explode in the presence of an ignition source.

Auto Ignition Temperature: The temperature at which combusiton starts in the absence of an ignition source

Relative Vapour Density: The density of a fas or vapour relative to air (air =1). A fas/vapour of density > 1 may flow and sink and remain concentrated if released in significant quantities. Substances of denstiy < 1 would float and disperse mor ereadily. This figure is calculated from the molecular weight relative to air (28.9)

Solubility in Water:

LogP(o/w): This provides information on the likelihood the substance will be bioaccumulated in the environment. It is a partition ratio of fat:water

Other Information: summarises information on stability, unsutable working materials, and substances to be avoided.

C. Health Hazard Information

Toxicological Data: lists relevant data form animal toxicological testing.

Health Effects: The health effects of chemicals largely depend on their toxicity-"the capacity of an agent to produce damage to an organism (systemic or developmental), the damage may be permanent or transient".

Acute Effects -Rapid onset and short duration. Usually the effect is felt immediately after a short exposure, however it can result in chronic disease.

Chronic Effects – slow onset and long duration. The exposure may be singular or multiple, but the adverse effects are only felt after an extended period of time.

Reversible Effects – symptoms are experienced immediately after exposure but then cease rapidly.

Irreversible Effects -the effects are lasting and cause considerable damage to the body, even if exposure to that chemical is stopped. A potent example is Carcinogens, which cause cells to multiply and spread out of control. Mutagens and Teratogens (which affect the development of the unborn child) are also in this category.

First Aid: outlines the first aid procedures recommended in the event of an acute exposure.