Crude Oil (Exxon Shipping Company 1988)

Exposure limit for total product: Not established for total product [emphasis added].
Health studies have shown that many petroleum hydrocarbons pose potential human health risks, which may vary from person to person. As a precaution, exposure to liquids, vapors, mists or fumes should be minimized.

High vapor concentrations are irritating to the eyes and the respiratory tract, may cause headaches and dizziness, are anesthetic, may cause unconsciousness, and may have other central nervous system effects including death.

Prolonged or repeated contact with this product at warm or ambient temperatures tends to remove skin oils, possibly leading to irritation and dermatitis.

Contact with this product at warm or ambient temperatures may cause eye irritation…
This product may contain benzene… Benzene can cause anemia and other blood diseases, including leukemia (cancer of the blood-forming system), after prolonged or repeated exposures at high concentrations… It has also caused fetal defects in tests on laboratory animals.

[T]here may be a potential risk of skin cancer in humans from prolonged and repeated skin contact with this product in the absence of good personal hygiene [emphasis added; EVOS cleanup conditions often prevented good personal hygiene.]
Minimize breathing vapors. Minimize skin contact. Ventilate confined spaces.

Corexit 9527™ (Exxon Company, USA, 1992)

Hazardous ingredient: 2-butoxyethanol ["bue-TOX-e-ETH-an-ol"].
OSHA Hazard: eye and skin irritant, vapors irritating to eyes and respiratory tract, toxic systemic via ingestion, inhalation and skin.

May be absorbed through skin to produce hemolytic anemia and kidney damage evidenced by paleness and possible red coloration of the urine.
Vapors an d/or aerosols, which may be formed at elevated temperatures, may cause systemic effects.

Chronic effects: Overexposure by inhalation and/or dermal contact may result in damage to the blood and kidneys.

Prevent liquid from entering sewers, watercourses, or low areas. Contain spilled liquid… [emphasis added; Prince William Sound is a watercourse.]

Inipol EAP 22™ (Exxon Company, USA, 1989)

Hazardous ingredient: 2-butoxyethanol.

Health studies have shown that many petroleum hydrocarbons and synthetic lubricants pose potential human health risks, which may vary from person to person. As a precaution, exposure to liquids, vapors, mists or fumes should be minimized.

Inhalation of high vapor concentrations may have results ranging from dizziness, headache, and respiratory irritation to unconsciousness and possibly death.

Components of this product (2-butoxyethanol) may be absorbed through the skin and could produce blood and kidney damage. Symptoms of overexposure include paleness and red discoloration of the urine.

Petroleum solvents/petroleum hydrocarbons--skin contact may aggravate an existing dermatitis.

Glycol ethers--persons with a history of blood and/or kidney disease should avoid exposure to this product.

Steps to be taken in case material is released or spilled: Keep people away. Recover free product. Minimize skin contact. Ventilate confined spaces. Keep product out of sewers and watercourses by diking or impounding [emphasis added; Prince William Sound is a watercourse.]

Simple Green® (Sunshine Makers, Inc., 2002)

Use of product: an all purpose cleaner and degreaser…

Ingredient: 2-butoxyethanol (less than 6 percent)

Note, however, that Butyl Cellosolve [2-butoxyethanol] is only one of the raw material ingredients that undergo processing and dilution during the manufacture Simple Green®. Upon completion of the manufacturing process, Simple Green® does not possess the occupational health risks associated with exposure to undiluted Butyl Cellosolve [2-butoxyethanol] [emphasis in original].

Adverse effects on human health are not expected from Simple Green®, based upon twenty years of use without reported adverse health incidence in diverse population groups, including extensive use by inmates of U.S. federal prisons in cleaning operations.
Repeated daily application to the skin without rinsing or continuous contact of Simple Green® on the skin may lead to temporary, but reversible, irritation.

Simple Green® is a mild eye irritant; mucous membranes may become irritated by concentrate-mist.

The Simple Green® formulation presents no health hazards to the user when used according to label directions for its intended purposes.

(Author's note: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lists 2-butoxyethanol at the top of its list of ingredients to avoid in its Janitorial Products Pollution Prevention Program. The EPA web page states products with the listed ingredients "pose very high risks to the janitor using the product, to building occupants, or to the environment." Comments under chronic effects for 2-butoxyethanol list reproductive and fetal damage, liver and kidney damage, and blood damage. www.westp2net.org/janitorial/tools/haz2.htm)