Monoethanol Amine Msds

How to Clean Green – Antibacterial All-Purpose Cleaner (Lemon ...

My research today to find more enemies towards our cleaning green initiative brought me to the cleaner I was used the most.  Today, we’ll take a peek at Formula 409 Antibacterial Kitchen All Purpose Cleaner.  I used this cleaner for so many years because of the functionality of the chemical; but, that was before I discovered just how well vinegar works as a cleaner.  As I searched the spray bottle to find the hazards I found a few unique things listed.

First, it lists the chemicals in the bottle in a font that would be difficult for a mouse to read.  Placing it under a microscope, I could make out this particular cleaner is made of 99.7% of “other ingredients” and 0.3% of the active ingredient alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (CAS# 68391-01-5).   Not satisfied with the information they have provided, I went to their website and found what I was looking for.  The primary ingredients listed are:

As I moved on to the MSDS it shows that the “active ingredient” might actually be 0.3% – 0.6%.  A little contradictory since the bottle states 0.3%, but I’m not going to to be that harsh on this little cleaner.  Wait, does that say monoethanolamine?  For those of you who don’t know, monoethanolamine is a combustible and corrosive liquid in its pure virgin form.  It’s also listed with exposure limits on the MSDS meaning too much of this material can be toxic to humans.  So, there are some pretty potent solvents used in this material that I see in industrial clients on a daily basis.  Interesting, no?

Ok, the material isn’t in its virgin form so stop making such a big deal about it, right?  Well, as I glance down further on the MSDS you’ll not that it has a pH of 10 which is fairly basic, but not necessarily considered very hazardous.  I wouldn’t be too concerned expect I’ve also found troubling statements in the hazards identification and toxicological information portions of the MSDS.  It reads “Skin contact may produce burns.  Inhalation of the spray mist may produce severe irritation of respiratory tract, characterized by coughing, choking, or shortness of breath.”  And it then goes on listing the chronic effects on humans as “May cause damage to the following organs: kidneys, lungs, liver, central nervous system.”  And the routes of entry are ingestion, inhalation, eye contact and absorbed through the skin.  We are vaporizing this chemical right in front of our faces and then using porous media (usually without gloves) to apply said chemical.  What’s even more troubling is it lists “not available” under the chronic health effects sections for Carcinogenic effects, Mutagenic effects, Teratogenic effects and Developmental Toxicity.  This doesn’t necessarily mean this product doesn’t affect any of these areas.  It just means the information is currently unavailable for one reason or another.  That’s kind of scary in my opinion.

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