Cleansafe compare cleaning products MSDS

Potential customers often have questions concerning how they can evaluate and compare cleaning products in terms of personnel safety, environmental friendliness and regulatory compliance issues. Much of the information needed to complete an initial screening is given in the product's SDS, and the scanning of a few sections will give you the basics on the nature of the product.

First, you should have some general information on cleaning products so that you know what to look for. Most effective industrial cleaners available today are highly alkaline products that contain caustics and/or strong alkali salts such as sodium hydroxide, sodium silicates and sodium phosphates. These products can have very high pH's of 12.5-14.0, and can cause strong irritation and burns to skin and eyes. Glycol ethers are often combined with the alkalis to increase cleaning power. Certain glycol ethers (such as ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, or 2-butoxyethanol) are classed as toxic chemicals subject to SARA Title III Annual Reporting, and worker exposure to airborne concentrations must be controlled. Glycol ethers are volatile organic compounds (VOC's), which are subject to increasing regulatory pressures. A new Federal EPA Regulation limits the VOC content of general purpose cleaners to a maximum of 10%.

Some products, usually the more expensive cleaners, are based on terpenes such as d-Limonene. D-Limonene is a VOC and a flammable liquid. The higher the concentration of d-Limonene in a product, the higher the VOC level and the stronger the possibility that the product has a flash point.

There are also some strong cleaners based on acids, which can cause burns to skin and eyes. Examples include certain metal cleaners, including most aluminum brighteners. These represent a relatively small part of the market.

When scanning an SDS for information on the nature of the product, the following suggestions may be helpful:

1. Usually, in the very first portion of the SDS where company and product information are given, the "proper shipping name" or "DOT shipping name" are given. A product, with a high pH may cause skin irritation and burns, may be indicated by the following shipping name: Caustic Alkali Liquids, n.o.s. A Flammable product, like d-Limonene, may say: Flammable Liquids, n.o.s. If not found in the first portion of the MSDS, this information may be given under some of the latter sections titled "Transportation Information" or "Regulatory Information".

2. Section 2 of the MSDS usually gives information on the composition of the product. It always highlights any hazardous ingredients. It may be limited to hazardous ingredients or it may give information on ingredients in general, including hazardous ingredients. This section usually gives limits on worker exposure to airborne vapors and dust. If limits are given as OSHA TLV's, OSHA PEL's, ACGIH PEL's, ACGIH TWA's or ACGIH STEL's, then the ingredient is regulated by OSHA and worker exposure must be controlled by the employer, in accordance with these limits. A summary of ingredients typically found in industrial cleaners, their functions and hazards is attached.

3. A section that could be anywhere in the MSDS will be titled "Physical Properties", "Physical and Chemical Properties" or "Physical Characteristics". This section can provide some important information on the pH of the product and on its content of volatile organic compounds (VOC's). This information is not always given, but if it is provided, use the following guidelines to evaluate it.

4. Other sections of the MSDS can provide more information concerning the personnel and environmental friendliness of the product. All of these sections are not always included in the SDS, but you can quickly scan the document to determine this.

INGREDIENT TYPE	FUNCTION	INGREDIENT EXAMPLES	NEGATIVE EFFECTS AND HAZARDS	PRODUCT(S) WHICH CONTAIN INGREDIENT EXAMPLE
1. Surfactants	Increase the wetting and penetrating ability of the cleaning product. Lift dirt, oil and grease from a soiled surface and dissolve, suspend or emulsify them in the water phase. Provide foaming action.	Non-ionic surfactants Anionic surfactants Cationic surfactants Amphoteric surfactants	Surfactants used in cleaning products are generally not classified as hazardous. Ionic surfactants can cause problems in wastewater treatment plants by interfering with heavy metal removal processes and anionics can cause foaming problems.	Virtually all cleaning products contain surfactants.
2. Alkalis	Provide high pH to boost the cleaner's ability to remove and emulsify oil, grease and organic dirt. Neutralize acids to buffer the pH.	Sodium metasilicate Sodium phosphates Potassium phosphates Sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) Potassium hydroxide (caustic potash)	These ingredients elevate the pH of many heavy duty cleaners to the 12-14 range. pH at this level can cause skin irritation and burns, dull or remove paint, darken aluminum and etch glass and countertops.	Super Clean Tuff Act
3. Solvents & co-solvents - glycol ethers	Work with surfactants in a cleaning product to penetrate soil and remove both water-soluble dirt and water-insoluble grease and oil. Help dissolve ingredients of limited water solubility in water-based cleaners.	Ethylene glycol n-butyl ether (2-butoxyethanol, butyl cellosolve) Propylene glycol methylether (propyl cellosolve) Dipropylene glycol methyl ether	Glycol ethers are solvents, and as such evaporate more rapidly than water, creating fumes/vapors. Contribute to volatile organic content (VOC) Butyl ether which is widely used, is classified as a toxic material by the DOT and personnel exposure to airborne vapors is regulated by OSHA.	Super Clean Simple Green Tuff Act Oil Eater
- Terpenes	Naturally occurring solvents closely related to isoprene and found in lemon oil, orange oil, pine oil and other essential oils. Solvents for oil and grease.	d-Limonene	Combustible solvent A volatile organic component (VOC)	Big Orange Bio T products Citri CLENZ
4. Builders	Deactivate water hardness compounds, buffer the pH to maintain alkalinity and emulsify oily dirt particles to prevent redeposition on cleaned surfaces.	Sodium silicate Sodium citrate Sodium tripolyphosphate Tetrapotassiumpyro- phosphate Sodium nitrilo- triacetate	Builders usually contribute to a higher pH and some are hazardous ingredients, such as sodium metasilicate, but these are covered under "alkalis".	Most cleaners contain builders that are non-hazardous.