Blog Posts on Chosen Careers by CM 107 English Comp Fall 2016; The Importance of SDS Sheets by Shannon Lutton

Many people do not know how to read and understand an SDS sheet; some have never even heard of them. An SDS sheet is a tool used to identify the hazards of a chemical to humans and environmental hazards as well. They are formally known as MSDS sheets- material safety data sheets. It is very important for anyone using any type of cleaning products to know how to read and understand the SDS sheets. I found an article called “Are Safety Data Sheets for Cleaning Products used in Norway a Factor Contributing to the Risk of Workers Exposed to Chemicals”, written by authors: Abdulqadir M. Suleiman and Kristin V.H. Svendsen. Written in The International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 2014) It indicates that in Norway the SDS sheets lacked very important information regarding the safe use of chemicals. (I, Jomeh, 2014) Because of the “generic” information, many people have developed asthma. One of the most common problem the people of Norway have developed is Contact Dermatitis. Contact Dermatitis is an inflammation or rash of the skin caused by contact with a substance. (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2014) Cleaning people are the biggest group with the highest incidence of contact dermatitis. The National Federation of Service Industry (NHO service) which is an affiliate of the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise was in control of conducting studies of over 650 products. They categorized the products into different risk classes. They based the risk factors on hazard classifications, PH, and types of solvents used in the mixtures. They also included information in whether or not the mixture contained any substances with complex-making properties, and if the mixture has any impact on the environment. (I. Jomeh, 2014) There were many important factors that they did leave out.  A few important things that they did not include were:

·         Corrosive

·         Harmful-allergy causing

·         Toxic

·         First Aid for Possible Exposure

All in all, this was a useful and interesting article for those interested in this topic.