MSDS Name: Methyl ethyl ketone
Catalog Numbers:
AC149670000, AC149670010, AC149670025, AC149670250, AC213010000,
AC213015000, AC327910000, AC327910010, AC327911000, S80081, S93303, M208-1,
M208-20, M208-4, M209-1, M209-20, M209-200, M209-4, M209-500, M209FB115,
M209FB19, M209FB200, M209FB50, M209RB115, M209RS19, M209RS200, M209RS28,
M209RS50, M209S4, M209SS115, M209SS200, M209SS28, M209SS50
Synonyms:
2-Butanone; Ethyl methyl ketone; MEK; Methyl ethyl ketone.
Company Identification:
Fisher Scientific
1 Reagent Lane
Fair Lawn, NJ 07410
For information, call: 201-796-7100
Emergency Number: 201-796-7100
For CHEMTREC assistance, call: 800-424-9300
For International CHEMTREC assistance, call: 703-527-3887
Appearance: colorless liquid. Flash Point: -7 deg C.
Danger! Extremely flammable liquid and vapor.
Vapor may cause flash fire. Breathing vapors may cause drowsiness
and dizziness. Causes eye irritation. Repeated exposure may cause
skin dryness or cracking. Aspiration hazard if swallowed. Can enter
lungs and cause damage.
Target Organs: Central nervous system, eyes,
skin.
Potential Health Effects
Eye:
Causes eye irritation. Vapors cause eye irritation.
Animal evidence suggests that MEK is a moderate to severe eye
irritant.
Skin:
May be absorbed through the skin in harmful amounts. Repeated or
prolonged exposure may cause drying and cracking of the skin.
Only one human case of skin sensitization was located. Negative
results were obtained in an animal test; MEK did not produce skin
sensitization in the mouse ear thickness test.
Ingestion:
May cause irritation of the digestive tract. Possible aspiration
hazard. May cause central nervous system depression.
Animal evidence suggests that MEK can be aspirated (inhaled) into the
lungs during ingestion or vomiting.
Inhalation:
Causes respiratory tract irritation. Inhalation of vapors may cause
drowsiness and dizziness. May cause central nervous system effects
such as nausea and headache.
Neurobehavioural effects of exposure to MEK (200 ppm for 4 hrs) were
studied with 137 volunteers. There were no statistically significant
effects observed in biochemical, psychomotor, sensorimotor and
psychological tests.
Chronic:
Chronic inhalation may cause effects similar to those of acute
inhalation. Prolonged or repeated skin contact may cause defatting
and dermatitis. Animal studies have reported that fetal
effects/abnormalities may occur when maternal toxicity is seen.
Chronic overexposure to vapors may cause lung damage.