GHS

GHS SDS Preparation Tip 4: How to List Hazardous Ingredients in Section 3

Little Pro on 2019-05-21

GH SDS Section 3 Composition/information on ingredients describes the chemical identity of hazardous ingredients in a chemical product, including impurities and stabilising additives. It is very important to know which ingredients need to be disclosed and if there is any display order ingredient disclosure shall follow. In this article, we will give you a summary of how to list hazardous ingredients in SDS section 3.

Which Ingredients Need to Be Disclosed

Usually an ingredient must be disclosed if it meets GHS classification criteria as a hazardous substance and its content exceeds relevant cut-off value (usually 0.1% or 1% depending on hazards) listed below. For example, a carcinogen must be disclosed in SDSs if its concentration is above or equal to 0.1%. 

GHS cut-off value

Usually non-hazardous constituents do not need to be disclosed in a chemical product (substance or mixture). However, some jurisdictions (i.e., EU) also require disclosure of non-hazardous substances if there are union workplace exposure limits for them or if they belong to PBT and vPvB substances.

Protection of Confidential Business Info (CBI)

Sometimes you may want to protect your confidential business info (CBI) by withholding exact substance name and exact concentration or concentration ranges in SDS section 3. While this is possible in many countries (i.e, US, China, Japan), you will need to apply for prior approval for doing so in other jurisdictions (EU, Canada, Korea, Taiwan, etc.). 

Read more: How to protect confidential business info in SDSs

Note: If you use a weight percentage range in SDSs, the health and environmental hazards shall describe the effects of the highest concentration of each ingredient.

Display Order of Hazardous Ingredients

Normally hazardous substances (including impurities) in a substance or mixture shall be disclosed in descending order by weight percentage or volume. This is a mandatory requirement in EU and China (GB/T 17519-2013). 

 Note: China also requires the provision of hazardous statements in the following order on labels: physical hazards > health hazards > environmental hazards.

Related Readings

Advanced GHS Readings

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 Tags: Topics - GHSGHS SDS and Labelling