Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2000 - 22

SECTION VIII - FIRST AID MEASURES
SKIN: Remove contaminated clothing. Wash skm thoroughly with soap and ..·.ater Seek medical attention If Irritallon persIsts. Launder contaminated
clothing before reuse.
EYES: Flush wIth water for at least 20 minutes. Seek medical attention.
INHALAliON: Rescuers should .... ear respiratory protection If entry Into hazardous atmosphere IS required. Remove victim Immediately from contaMinated
area. Apply artificial respiration If breathing has stopped. Keep at rest. Obtain medical attention mmedrately
INGESTION: Do not Induce vomiting. Keep at rest. Obtain medical attention Immediately.

Figure 6: What if protection measures fail? Look in
Section 8 of an OSHA format MSDS.

.,1.

~IRST

AID

~~;SURcS

Eyes

What if the suggested protection fails?

: f symptoms develop, i~~ediately ave individual away :rom
exoosure and into fresh air.
Flush eyes gently with wa er for a

- What should I do if I am the person suffering from
exposure?
- What should I do for a co-worker who is suffering
(rom exposure?
- MIat should I 1/01 do in the above situations?
- Should emergency-response personnel be notified
immediately?
- What information do emergency-response and other
medical personnel need in order to effectively treat a
viClim?
This information is usually found in Section 7 of
most OSHA-formatted MSDS. As a positive example of an
indi\~dual manufacturer deviating (rom the suggested formal, the manufacturer who prepared our OSHA format
example has chosen to add an extra section identified as
"Section VIII - First Aid Measures" to the MSDS (Figure
6). Corresponding "First Aid Measures" information is
found in Section 4 of the A.'lSI format MSDS (Figure ).

A.
IT

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·e .. ........ 1 ...

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least 15 minutes while holding eyelids apart; seek immediate
medical attention.

Skin
Remove contaminat.ed clothing. \'1ash exposed area \'Ii th soap and
wa er.
If symptoms persist, seek medical attention. Launder

clothing before reuse.
S\'lallo\oling
Seek medical att.ention. If individual is drowsy or unconscious,
do not give anything by mouth; place individual on the left side
\1ith the head

do~m.

Contact a physician, medical facility, or

poison control center for advice about whether to induce vomit.ing.
If possible, do not leave individual nattended.
Inhalation

If syrnp oms develop, i~mediately move individual away from
exposure and into fresh air. Seek iromedia e medical attention;
keep person warm and quie. If person is not breathing, begin
ar ificial respiration. If breaching is difficult, adminiscer
oxygen.
Note to Physicians
This material is a aspiracion hazard. Po ential danger from
aspiration muse be \·le.lgnea agains possible oral oxicity (See
Seccion 3 - Swallo;·;ing) \'lhen decidi..g whether to induce vomici. g.
This macerial (or a component) has produced hyperglycemia and
ketosis following subs tan ial ingestion. Preexisting disorders of
he following organs (or organ systems) may be aggravated by
exposure to this material: skin, lung (for example, asthma-like
condicions), liver, kidr---!".l: r

.* '

Figure 7: What if protection measures
fail? Look in Section 4 of an

..... drgt-

. i ...

ANSI format MSDS.

Figure 8: How should I react to spills? In
an ANSI format MSDS, look in
Sections 6 and 7.

I"m beginning to get a handle on thjs particular
chemical product. My highest-priOlit)' questions have
now been answered: I know the ways acelone is most
likely to hurt me, the manufacntrer's recommendations
for protecting myself from harmful exposure, and whalto
do in case of accidental exposure. Am I ready to open
this container and begin working with acetone? Not quite.
I've found the answers to what I feel are the mosl important questions, and those answers indicate that acetone
needs to be regarded with some caution. I'm going to
need more information before I can feel real()1 safe about
using it.
While answering the "How can acetone hurt me?"
question, we found out that it is flanImable, combustible,
20

SUMMER

000

Yl)&T

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2000