2.1 Health Effects - Acute

Swallowed

May cause irritation of the mouth and throat, abdominal discomfort, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. May cause dizziness, drowsiness, faintness, weakness, collapse & coma.

Eye

Causes moderate to severe irritation, experienced as discomfort or pain, excess blinking and tear production, with marked excess redness and swelling of the conjunctiva. Causes corneal damage.

Skin

Brief contact may cause slight irritation with itching and local redness. Prolonged contact may cause more severe irritation, with discomfort or pain, local redness and swelling, and possible tissue destruction. Prolonged or widespread contact may result in the absorption of potentially harmful amounts of material.

Inhaled

Vapour or mist from heated material may cause irritation of the respiratory tract, experienced as nasal discomfort and discharge, with chest pain and coughing.

2.2 Health Effects - Chronic

Repeated overexposure may cause damage to kidneys and liver. Skin contact may aggravate an existing dermatitis. Inhalation of material may aggravate asthma and inflammatory or fibriotic pulmonary disease.

2.3 First Aid

Swallowed

If patient is fully conscious, give two glasses of water. Induce vomiting. Obtain medical attention.

Eye

Immediately flush eyes with water and continue washing for at least 15 minutes. DO NOT remove contact lenses if worn. Obtain medical attention without delay, preferably from an ophthalmologist.

Skin

Remove contaminated clothing. Wash skin with soap and water. Obtain medical attention if contact has been widespread and prolonged, or if irritation persists. Wash clothing before reuse.

Inhaled

Remove to fresh air. In cases of loss of consciousness, place affected person in the coma or lateral position and seek medical attention immediately. Apply artificial respiration if necessary.

First Aid Facilities

Ensure an eye bath and safety shower are available and ready for use.

2.5 Advice to Doctor

There is no specific antidote. Treatment of overexposure should be directed at the control of symptoms and the clinical condition of the patient. The hazards of this material are due mainly to its severely irritant properties on skin and mucosal surfaces.

2.6 Toxicity Data

Oral (rat) LD50: 1.58 (1.34 - 1.85) ml/kg males, 0.62 (0.45-0.85) ml/kg females. Percutaneous (rabbit) LD50: 7.46 (5.05-11.0) ml/kg/24hr males. There are reports that ingestion of diethanolamine (DEA) produced nervous system injury in dogs and rats. Heart and salivary gland lesions have also been observed in mice treated with DEA cutaneously and in the drinking water. Rats given higher doses of DEA developed anemia and testicular lesions. An increased incidence of some skeletal variations suggestive of a slight developmental delay was seen only in the fetuses of rats given 1500mg/kg/day cutaneously which also caused significant maternal toxicity. However, no fetal malformations were observed in either rats or rabbits similarly treated. The National Toxicollogy program has concluded that there is clear evidence of l liver tumor and some evidence of kidney tumor in mice dermally exposed for their life time. The significance and relevance to humans are not clear as DEA is not genotoxic. Futher research is underway.