Product Warning Labels

Inadequate warning labels are a prime target for OSHA citations. Chemical manufacturers, importers, and distributors must be sure that containers of hazardous chemicals leaving the workplace are labeled, tagged, or marked with the identity, appropriate hazard warnings, and the name and address of the manufacturer or other responsible party. 

Within each warehouse, each container must be labeled, tagged, or marked with the identity of hazardous chemicals contained therein. The label must also show hazard warnings relevant for employee protection. Labels must convey the hazards of the product, and the related warning statement must include the effects on target organs, such as causes irritation of the nose and upper respiratory tract. A label that simply states harmful if inhaled is not a sufficient warning. 

The hazard warning can be any t5q)e of message, words, pictures, or symbols that convey the hazards of the chemical(s). Labels must be legible, in English (plus other languages, if desired), and prominently displayed. Bags, barrels, bottles, boxes, cans, cylinders, drums, and storage tanks must carry labels. 

Color-coded systems are used to label hazardous materials. Some labels use colored bars or diamonds that indicate the type of hazard. A red bar or diamond indicates a fire hazard. Yellow bars or diamonds indicate a reactivity hazard. Blue bars or diamonds indicate health hazards. White bars identify the need for personal protective equipment such as glasses, gloves, faceshields, rubber aprons, or respirators. A white diamond contains symbols regarding the health hazards the chemical may cause, warnings such as OX for oxidizer, ACID for acid, ALK for alkali, COR for corrosive, W for use no water, and a radioactive symbol. 

In addition, the horizontal bars or diamonds will display a number that indicates the degree of the hazard. The numbers range from 0 to 4. A 0 indicates no hazard, a 1 indicates a slight hazard, a 2 indicates a moderate hazard, a 3 indicates a serious hazard, and a 4 indicates a severe hazard. 

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Make a poster showing the types of product warning labels that are found on products in your home. 

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) establishes regulations to enforce the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA) which requires chemical product warning labels on consumer products... 

Regulatory authorities be established initially in each country and subsequently worldwide to review and approve chemical product warning labels to assure that the best available knowledge about toxicity is universally distributed. This authority could be similar to that exercised by EPA in the United States in reviewing and approving pesticide product labelsJ6 ... 

The company has responsibility for making sure forklift drivers read all product warning labels. 

These substances may not be used in cosmetic products, except subject to the restrictions and conditions laid down by the different legislations (e.g. EU Cosmetics Directive Annex III). The restrictions may concern maximum concentrations, pH limits in the finished product, warning labels or purity criteria, depending on the product in which they are formulated. Eor example, see Table 2.1.1 for the restrictions specific to thioglycohc acid and its salts in the EU Cosmetics Directive Annex HI. 

Legislation to stay the ban has been passed in the U.S. Congress periodically. In December, 1991, the FDA withdrew its proposed ban. AH saccharin-containing packaged products are required to carry a warning label indicating that saccharin has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals. 

Have you ever wondered about the content of the small packets of granules included in boxes of new electronic devices, leather products, or medications Or have you simply heeded the warning label to dispose of the sachet immediately The granular desiccants in these packets have particular physical properties that enhance their function as drying agents. A look at the chemical structure or chemical properties of these materials provides a better understanding of their capacity to control moisture. 

Negative public reaction to the FDA ban. Consumers tried to stock up saccharin products against the coming ban diabetics lobbied Congress to reverse the ban (no other nonsugar sweetener available at that time) consumers asked for a warning label on the product instead... 

In 1977, The Food and Drug Administration initiated a warning label policy in light of inconclnsive evidence that the sweetener might cause cancer in high doses. Their increased application in food and drink products has given a new impetus to develop fast and accmate methods for their determination. 

There are some other acute toxicity tests in which non-lethal outcome are sought. These include studies of the amount of chemical needed to cause skin or eye irritation or more serious damage. Test systems developed by J. H. Draize and his associates at the Food and Drug Administration in the early 1940s were used to study ocular effects. Warning labels on consumer products were typically based on the outcome of the Draize test. 

The Swedish Classification Scheme initiated in 2005 by the Swedish Association of Pharmacy Industries (LIF), the Swedish Medical Products Agency, Apoteket (National Corporation of Swedish Pharmacies), the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions and the Stockholm County Council, take in account Persistence, Bioaccumulation and Toxicity (PBT) characteristics of pharmaceutical products. This voluntary scheme looks at the environmental hazard and the associated risk of pharmaceutical products. The environmental risk is calculated based on the ratio PEC/PNEC according to the EMEA guideline [17,124, 127]. The obtained information is only available on the website www.fss.se, since due to European restrictions it is not possible to include warning labels on the packaging of medications [17]. 

Any concern producing a product which may be dangerous to life or property has a legal responsibility to indicate the potential hazard by use of warning labels or other protective methods. The manufacturer must supply safe shipping containers and make certain that any hazards involved in their handling or use are clearly indicated. Legal liability also holds for defective or misrepresented products. 

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