Safety & Regulatory

General: move the affected person away from the contaminated area, remove soiled clothing immediately and keep the person warm and quiet. Show the safety data sheet to the attending physician.

Inhalation: move the person into fresh air and keep comfortable for breathing. Give artificial respiration if breathing has stopped, administer oxygen if breathing is difficult, and call a poison centre or physician immediately, because inhalation of the vapour can be fatal.

Skin contact: remove and isolate contaminated clothing and shoes, then flush the skin with running water for at least 20 minutes and wash with soap and plenty of water. Take the casualty to hospital, since skin contact can be fatal.

Eye contact: irrigate the open eye with plenty of water for several minutes, lifting the upper and lower eyelids, and remove contact lenses where present. Seek medical advice if irritation persists.

Ingestion: rinse the mouth with water. Do NOT induce vomiting. Call a physician or poison control centre immediately and never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person.

EDT is a flammable liquid whose vapour forms explosive mixtures with air. Suitable extinguishing media are dry chemical, carbon dioxide, water spray or fog, and alcohol-resistant foam. Straight water streams must not be used: they may scatter the burning liquid and are inefficient against a product with a flash point near 45 °C.

Fire-fighters should wear positive-pressure self-contained breathing apparatus and chemical protective clothing. Combustion produces carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and sulfur oxides. Closed containers may explode when heated, and run-off must be diked and contained so that it does not enter drains or watercourses.

Eliminate all ignition sources, ventilate the area and keep unprotected persons away and upwind. Use spark-proof tools and explosion-proof equipment, and wear the protective equipment specified under exposure controls.

Contain the spill with inert absorbent material such as sand, diatomite or a universal binder, collect it into a closed container using clean non-sparking tools, and dispose of it as hazardous waste. Prevent the material from entering sewers, basements, confined areas or waterways, and dike if necessary.

Handle in a fume hood or under local exhaust ventilation and under dry inert gas where practical, since the substance is air sensitive. Ground and bond all equipment, take measures against static build-up, and use explosion-proof equipment and non-sparking hand tools.

Store in tightly closed containers in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place, away from heat, sparks and open flames. Keep away from oxidising agents, strong bases, reducing agents and alkali metals. Reseal opened containers carefully and keep them upright to prevent leakage.

No occupational exposure limit is assigned to 1,2-ethanedithiol. Alfa Aesar lists Protective Action Criteria of 0.15 ppm (PAC-1), 1.6 ppm (PAC-2) and 9.6 ppm (PAC-3) for emergency planning. Work in a properly operating fume hood with an average face velocity of at least 100 feet per minute.

Personal protective equipment: nitrile protective gloves, safety goggles with side shields or a face shield, and protective work clothing. Use a multi-purpose or ABEK respirator as a back-up to engineering controls, and self-contained breathing apparatus in emergencies. Eyewash stations and safety showers should be available at the point of use.

Acute toxicity data reported by the suppliers: LD₅₀ oral 143.88 mg/kg (rat) and 342 mg/kg (mouse); LD₅₀ dermal 197 mg/kg (rabbit); LC₅₀ inhalation 1.17 mg/L per 4 h (rat), equivalent to 277 ppm. Absorption through the skin is a significant route of exposure and dermal or inhalation exposure can be fatal.

The substance may irritate the skin and causes serious eye irritation. Sensitisation, germ-cell mutagenicity and reproductive toxicity are not classified, and the suppliers report no carcinogenicity data from IARC, NTP, OSHA or ACGIH. The stench is perceptible far below hazardous concentrations and must not be used as a warning threshold.

LD₅₀: 143.88 mg/kg (oral, rat)