Common Name: Calcium Cyanamide CAS Number: 156-62-7 DOT Number: UN 1403 Date: January 31, 1986 ----------------------------------------- HAZARD SUMMARY * Calcium Cyanamide can affect you when breathed in and by passing through the skin. * Exposure can make you feel dizzy, flushed, and lightheaded. Drinking alcohol (beer, wine, liquor, etc.) shortly before or after exposure can make these effects worse, and can cause nausea, vomiting, shock, and possibly death. * Contact can severely irritate the skin and eyes. Prolonged contact can cause skin ulcers. Skin allergy can occur. * Calcium Cyanamide can irritate the nose and throat. IDENTIFICATION Calcium Cyanamide is a gray crystalline (sugar or sand like) material or a powder. It is used to make Calcium Cyanide and Dicyandiamide and to desulfurize steel. REASON FOR CITATION * Calcium Cyanamide is on the Hazardous Substance List because it is cited by ACGIH, DOT and EPA. * Definitions are attached. HOW TO DETERMINE IF YOU ARE BEING EXPOSED * Exposure to hazardous substances should be routinely evaluated. This may include collecting personal and area air samples. You can obtain copies of sampling results from your employer. You have a legal right to this information under OSHA 1910.20. * If you think you are experiencing any work related health problems, see a doctor trained to recognize occupational diseases. Take this Fact Sheet with you. WORKPLACE EXPOSURE LIMITS ACGIH: The recommended airborne exposure limit is 0.5 mg/m3 averaged over an 8 hour workshift. * The above exposure limits are for air levels only. When skin contact also occurs, you may be overexposed, even though air levels are less than the limits listed above. WAYS OF REDUCING EXPOSURE * Where possible, enclose operations and use local exhaust ventilation at the site of chemical release. If local exhaust ventilation or enclosure is not used, respirators should be worn. * Wear protective work clothing. * Wash thoroughly immediately after exposure to Calcium Cyanamide and at the end of the workshift. * Post hazard and warning information in the work area. In addition, as part of an ongoing education and training effort, communicate all information on the health and safety hazards of Calcium Cyanamide to potentially exposed workers. This Fact Sheet is a summary source of information of all potential and most severe health hazards that may result from exposure. Duration of exposure, concentration of the substance and other factors will affect your susceptibility to any of the potential effects described below. ------------------------------------------ HEALTH HAZARD INFORMATION Acute Health Effects The following acute (short term) health effects may occur immediately or shortly after exposure to Calcium Cyanamide: * Calcium Cyanamide can cause nausea, dizziness, and flushing of the skin. Drinking alcohol (beer, wine, liquor, etc.) within 1 2 days after exposure, or shortly before, increases the risk of these effects and, if overexposure has occurred, can cause serious illness with vomiting, seizures, and sometimes death. * Exposure can irritate the nose and throat. * Contact can cause severe skin and eye irritation. Other Long Term Effects The following chronic (long term) health effects can occur at some time after exposure to Calcium Cyanamide and can last for months or years: Cancer Hazard * According to the information presently available to the New Jersey Department of Health, Calcium Cyanamide has been tested and has not been shown to cause cancer in animals. Reproductive Hazard * According to the information presently available to the New Jersey Department of Health, Calcium Cyanamide has not been tested for its ability to adversely affect reproduction. Other Long Term Effects * Calcium Cyanamide may damage the nervous system, causing numbness, "pins and needles", and/or weakness in the hands and feet. * Calcium Cyanamide may cause a skin allergy. If allergy develops, very low future exposures can cause itching and a skin rash. * Prolonged contact can cause skin ulcers. MEDICAL Medical Testing If symptoms develop or overexposure is suspected, the following may be useful: * Exam of the nervous system. * Evaluation by a qualified allergist, including careful exposure history and special testing, may help diagnose skin allergy. Any evaluation should include a careful history of past and present symptoms with an exam. Medical tests that look for damage already done are not a substitute for controlling exposure. Request copies of your medical testing. You have a legal right to this information under OSHA 1910.20. Mixed Exposures Drinking alcohol (beer, wine, etc.) shortly before or within 1 2 days after exposure can cause severe reaction. WORKPLACE CONTROLS AND PRACTICES Unless a less toxic chemical can be substituted for a hazardous substance, ENGINEERING CONTROLS are the most effective way of reducing exposure. The best protection is to enclose operations and/or provide local exhaust ventilation at the site of chemical release. Isolating operations can also reduce exposure. Using respirators or protective equipment is less effective than the controls mentioned above, but is sometimes necessary. In evaluating the controls present in your workplace, consider: (1) how hazardous the substance is, (2) how much of the substance is released into the workplace and (3) whether harmful skin or eye contact could occur. Special controls should be in place for highly toxic chemicals or when significant skin, eye, or breathing exposures are possible. Good WORK PRACTICES can help to reduce hazardous exposures. The following work practices are recommended: * Do not take contaminated work clothes home. Family members could be exposed. * Contaminated work clothes should be laundered by individuals who have been informed of the hazards of exposure to Calcium Cyanamide. * On skin contact with Calcium Cyanamide, immediately wash or shower to remove the chemical. * Do not eat, smoke, or drink where Calcium Cyanamide is handled, processed, or stored, since the chemical can be swallowed. Wash hands carefully before eating or smoking. PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT WORKPLACE CONTROLS ARE BETTER THAN PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT. However, for some jobs (such as outside work, confined space entry, jobs done only once in a while, or jobs done while workplace controls are being installed), personal protective equipment may be appropriate. The following recommendations are only guidelines and may not apply to every situation. Clothing * Avoid skin contact with Calcium Cyanamide. All protective clothing (suits, gloves, footwear, headgear) should be clean, available each day, and put on before work. * Wear protective gloves and clothing. Safety equipment suppliers/manufacturers can provide recommendations on the most protective glove/clothing material for your operation. Eye Protection * Wear dust proof goggles and face shield when working with powders or dust, unless full facepiece respiratory protection is worn. Respiratory Protection IMPROPER USE OF RESPIRATORS IS DANGEROUS. Such equipment should only be used if the employer has a written program that takes into account workplace conditions, requirements for worker training, respirator fit testing and medical exams, as described in OSHA 1910.134. * Where the potential exists for exposures over 0.5 mg/m3, use a MSHA/NIOSH approved respirator equipped with particulate (dust/fume/mist) filters. Particulate filters must be checked every day before work for physical damage, such as rips or tears, and replaced as needed. * If while wearing a filter, cartridge or canister respirator, you can smell, taste, or otherwise detect Calcium Cyanamide, or in the case of a full facepiece respirator you experience eye irritation, leave the area immediately. Check to make sure the respirator to face seal is still good. If it is, replace the filter, cartridge, or canister. If the seal is no longer good, you may need a new respirator. * Be sure to consider all potential exposures in your workplace. You may need a combination of filters, prefilters, cartridges, or canisters, to protect against different forms of a chemical (such as vapor and mist) or against a mixture of chemicals. * Where the potential for high exposures exists, use a MSHA/NIOSH approved supplied air respirator with a full facepiece operated in the positive pressure mode or with a full facepiece, hood, or helmet in the continuous flow mode, or use a MSHA/NIOSH approved self contained breathing apparatus with a full facepiece operated in pressure demand or other positive pressure mode. Common Name: Calcium Cyanamide DOT Number: UN 1403 DOT Emergency Guide code: 40 CAS Number: 156-62-7 ---------------------------------------- NJ DOH Hazard rating FLAMMABILITY 0 REACTIVITY 0 ---------------------------------------- FIRE HAZARD ON CONTACT WITH WATER DO NOT USE FOAM OR WATER ---------------------------------------- Hazard Rating Key: 0=minimal; 1=slight; 2=moderate; 3=serious; 4=severe FIRE HAZARDS * Commercial grades of Calcium Cyanamide contain Calcium Carbide and will decompose on contact with water to give off Ammonia and Acetylene gases. This creates a FIRE HAZARD. * DO NOT USE FOAM or WATER. Use dry chemical, soda ash, or lime. * If employees are expected to fight fires, they must be trained and equipped as stated in OSHA 1910.156. SPILLS AND EMERGENCIES If Calcium Cyanamide is spilled, take the following steps: * Restrict persons not wearing protective equipment from area of spill until cleanup is complete. * Remove all ignition sources. * Ventilate area of spill. * Collect spilled material in the most convenient and safe manner and deposit in sealed containers for reclamation or for disposal in an approved facility. * Absorb liquid containing Calcium Cyanamide in vermiculite, dry sand, earth, or similar material. * It may be necessary to contain and dispose of Calcium Cyanamide as a HAZARDOUS WASTE. Contact your state Environmental Program for specific recommendations. ========================================== FOR LARGE SPILLS AND FIRES immediately call your fire department. ========================================== HANDLING AND STORAGE * Prior to working with Calcium Cyanamide you should be trained on its proper handling and storage. * Store in tightly closed containers in a cool, well ventilated area away from MOISTURE and CALCIUM CARBIDE. FIRST AID POISON INFORMATION Eye Contact * Immediately flush with large amounts of water. Continue without stopping for at least 15 minutes, occasionally lifting upper and lower lids. Seek medical attention immediately. Skin Contact * Quickly remove contaminated clothing. Immediately wash contaminated skin with large amounts of soap and water. If Symptoms Develop * Remove the person from exposure. * Begin rescue breathing if breathing has stopped and CPR if heart action has stopped. * Transfer promptly to a medical facility. PHYSICAL DATA Water Solubility: Insoluble OTHER COMMONLY USED NAMES Chemical Name: Cyanamide, Calcium Salt (1:1) Other Names and Formulations: Calcium Carbamide; Lime Nitrogen; Alzodex. ------------------------------------------ Not intended to be copied and sold for commercial purposes. ------------------------------------------ NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH Right to Know Program CN 368, Trenton, NJ 08625 0368 ------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------ ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION Calcium cyanamide is a white powder in pure form and a grayish-black powder in the commercial grade. It is used as a fertilizer, defoliant, and pesticide, as well as in the manufacture and refining of iron, and in the manufacture of calcium cyanide, melamine, and dicyandiamide. It may enter the environment from industrial discharges, agricultural runoff, or spills. ACUTE (SHORT-TERM) ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS Acute toxic effects may include the death of animals, birds, or fish, and death or low growth rate in plants. Acute effects are seen two to four days after animals or plants come in contact with a toxic chemical substance. Calcium cyanamide has caused germination decrease in agricultural crops. Insufficient data are available to evaluate or predict the short-term effects of calcium cyanamide to aquatic organisms, birds, or land animals. CHRONIC (LONG-TERM) ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS Chronic toxic effects may include shortened lifespan, reproductive problems, lower fertility, and changes in appearance or behavior. Chronic effects can be seen long after first exposure(s) to a toxic chemical. Insufficient data are available to evaluate or predict the long-term effects of calcium cyanamide to aquatic organisms, plants, birds, or land animals. WATER SOLUBILITY Calcium cyanamide is highly soluble in water. Concentrations of 1,000 milligrams and more will mix with a liter of water. DISTRIBUTION AND PERSISTENCE IN THE ENVIRONMENT Calcium cyanamide is non-volatile, so very little will occur in air. In acid solutions and in most soils, it hydrolyzes to urea. It also produces hydrogen cyanamide in moist soils. In pure water or alkaline solutions, it may polymerize to dicyandiamide. Thus, it would appear to be of limited environmental persistence. BIOACCUMULATION IN AQUATIC ORGANISMS Insufficient data are available to evaluate or predict the bioaccumulation of calcium cyanamide in aquatic organisms. SUPPORT DOCUMENT: AQUIRE Database, ERL-Duluth, U.S. EPA.