How do I know if the products I’m using are safe for the environment? That’s a good question. The answer is they aren’t and no product is allowed in the storm drain. So your next question is, "If I use the waste wash water to water the grass in front of the school or a flower bed near a gas station, how do I know if it will kill the grass or plants?" How do I know the products will be safe for our children?

This question we can answer. Every product has a Material Safety And Data Sheet (MSDS). Read through the sheet and see if the diamond at the top of the sheet has a number higher than one in the box on the left. If it does, it will affect organic life. Look for products that have only ones or zeroes in the boxes in the diamond code at the top.

Material Safety and Data Sheets (MSDS sheets) contain nine sections. These sections are:

I. General Information

II. Ingredients

III. Physical Data

IV. Fire and Explosion Hazard Data

V. Health Hazard Information

VI. Reactivity Data

VII. Spill, Leak and Disposal Procedures

VIII. Special Handling Information

IX. User’s Responsibility

At the top of each sheet is a square on end. It looks like a diamond shape. It is broken into four squares inside this diamond shape. The squares mean:

Top Square (Fire)

Left Square (Toxic)

Right Square (Reaction)

Bottom Square (Special)

In each square there is a number from zero to four. The numbers equal:

Four = Extreme

Three = High

Two = Moderate

One = Slight

Zero = Insignificant

This indicates how safe or volatile the product is. It also gives you an indication of whether the fumes are dangerous, if it is flammable, if it will react adversely with other chemical or if it is radioactive or biologically unsafe.

Section I, the general information section, contains information such as:

Who prepared the MSDS Sheet

The product’s trade name and type of chemical

Which chemical family the product belongs to

Basic formula

Name and address of manufacturer

DOT shipping classification

DOT Hazard classification

Section II contains ingredients. Generally only hazardous ingredients will be listed. It will normally be in chart form:

Name of component

CAS number

Percentage of hazardous chemicals

Concentration in parts per million

Section III contains physical data, things that you probably learned in chemistry class:

Boiling point

Vapor pressure

Vapor density

Solubility in water

Odor

Appearance and color

Gravity in terms of water

Percentage which is or could be volatile

Reactivity, if any, in water

Ph Level

Section IV contains fire and explosion data such as:

Flash point

What will extinguish it if it catches fire

Flammable limits

Any special fire fighting procedures

Any unusual hazards regarding fire and explosion

Section V contains health hazard information and what happens when:

Product vapor is inhaled

Product comes in contact with skin, eyes, etc.

Product is swallowed

It tells you what symptoms to expect and what should be done including any first aid or emergency procedures.

Section VI contains information regarding the product’s reactivity with other elements and common compounds. It discusses conditions to avoid, the product’s stability or instability and it’s decomposition.

Section VII contains information regarding spill response procedures including any special state, federal or local laws to be met.

Section VIII contains information regarding special handling. It is basically a catch-all section for anything not covered by other sections. Items such as:

Respiratory Protection

Eye Protection

Gloves

Ventilation

Engineering Controls

are not uncommon in this section. Sometimes you will find equipment discussed here. Special equipment that the manufacturer recommends for CYA purposes in case something goes wrong.

Section IX contains information regarding the user’s responsibility. It is a disclaimer section that manufacturers generally use to avoid lawsuits. Usually they pass the buck by saying people using this product should maintain a safe work place at all times and have in written form a safety manual for employees, workers and independent contractors.

Following all these sections is a blown out of proportion disclaimer usually written in plain English by an attorney releasing the product manufacturer from any responsibility what so ever and further more disavows the manufacturers from any mistakes in the MSDS sheet therein.

If all this sounds too complicated, go find some coconut soap, citrus cleaner or Liquid Organic Cleaner (L.O.C.) from Amway and use those. You can actually drink them if you had to and still wake up the next morning. You might get the runs but they definitely won’t kill you. As a matter of fact, I’ve seen nice bright green spots in the grass where we’ve discharged our waste wash water. But you will need to be careful of the products you use and realize none of the soapy dirty water is allowed into the storm drains. Think about it.