According to the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) guidelines in India, a chemical is considered hazardous if it exhibits any of the following criteria, categorized under physical hazards, health hazards, and environmental hazards, which are all outlined in the different sections of the SDS:
Physical Hazards:
Flammable: Easily ignites and rapidly spreads fire.
Explosive: Can detonate under certain conditions.
Oxidizing: Can readily release oxygen, intensifying combustion.
Pyrophoric: Spontaneously ignites on exposure to air.
Self-heating: Generates heat on exposure to air, potentially leading to ignition.
Self-reactive: Can undergo exothermic reactions without external ignition.
Gas under pressure: Can release large amounts of gas under pressure if container is damaged.
Health Hazards:
Acute toxicity: Can cause immediate harmful effects like irritation, burns, or poisoning through ingestion, inhalation, or skin contact.
Skin sensitization: Can cause allergic reactions upon skin contact.
Respiratory sensitization: Can cause allergic reactions when inhaled.
Germ cell mutagenicity: Can damage genetic material, potentially causing mutations.
Carcinogenicity: Can cause cancer.
Reproductive toxicity: Can impair fertility or harm the developing fetus.
Specific target organ toxicity (single exposure): Can cause damage to specific organs after a single exposure.
Specific target organ toxicity (repeated exposure): Can cause damage to specific organs after repeated exposure.
Aspiration hazard: Can be aspirated into the lungs if ingested, causing damage.
Environmental Hazards:
Dangerous for the environment: Can cause significant harm to the environment if released.
Persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT): Can accumulate in the environment and food chain, posing long-term risks.
Important Points to Remember:
GHS Classification:
India follows the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for classifying hazardous chemicals, which determines the hazard pictograms and signal words used on SDSs.
Regulatory Compliance:
Manufacturers and importers of hazardous chemicals in India are required to provide an SDS for each product as per the relevant regulations.
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