The latest Fire Dept Service Announcement (FDSA) bulletin has provided an explanation over the US State “Right-to-Know Regulation” on Safety Data Sheets (SDS) under Section 15.

Right-to-know laws are a group of rules and regulations at the state and national levels that mandate that employers share scientific information with workers and local communities about the toxicity and other characteristics of chemicals and materials used in business processes.

Chemicals under “State Right-to-Know” found on SDS and currently used in firefighting foams:

• Acetaldehyde
• 2-(2-Butoxyethoxy)ethanol
• 1,3-Dichloropropene
• 1,4-Dioxane
• Ethanol
• Ethylene glycol
• Ethylene oxide
• Fermentation-derived cellulose
• Formaldehyde
• Hexamethylenetetramine
• Methanol
• 2-Methyl-2,4-pentanediol
• Methylene Chloride
• Purple-K (PKP) (aka Palygorskite, Attapulgite, magnesium aluminium silicate & crystalline silica)
• Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
• PFNA & its salts
• PFOS & its salts & transformation & degradation precursors
• Polyfluorinated alkyl polyamide
• 1,2-Propanediol
• Sodium Decyl Sulfate
• Sodium Hydroxide
• Sodium Octyl Sulfate
• Sodium O-Phenylphenate
• Sulfuric Acid, mono-C8-10 alkyl esters, sodium salts

Presently, 8 states have right-to-know regulations: California, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Additionally, Vermontand Washington state have statutes regarding: “Chemicals of High Concern to Children Status.”

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations require a SDS. Standards require all employee exposure records to be maintained for at least 30 years. A chemical is defined as any substance or mixture of substances.