Chemical Safety
Material Safety Data Sheets
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) are the primary source of information about the properties and hazards of chemicals used in the workplace. Government regulations require that MSDSs be readily available to all workers.
MSDSs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
To assist with this requirement, DRS maintains a database of MSDSs for products used by various departments in the Urbana-Champaign campus community. For information about entering your department(s) MSDSs into the database, please contact the Hazard Communication Coordinator via e-mail.
To view MSDSs of products used by various departments in the Urbana-Champaign campus community, please visit http://www.illinois.msdss.com, and follow these instructions:
- Click on the
- Enter as much information as possible into the boxes and click on the
- When the system returns the results, click on the
to retrieve the MSDS as a PDF.
In addition to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign MSDS Database, the following manufacturers' links are provided:
Sigma-Aldrich-Fluka MSDSs
In order to retrieve MSDSs from Sigma, please visit http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/Area_of_Interest/The_Americas/United_States.html, and follow these instructions:
- In order to obtain MSDSs from Sigma, you will need to know the Sigma Product Number or full chemical name. Enter the information in the upper left-hand corner of the page and click the
. - When the system returns the match, simply click on the MSDS link to retrieve it.
Fisher-ACROS MSDSs
- If you have the product number for a Fisher or ACROS chemical, visit Fisher Scientific's web site at https://www.fishersci.com. You do not need to register to obtain an MSDS. Enter the product number in the product number search box and click the
- When the system returns the matching chemical, click
on the to retrieve the MSDS.
Bio-Rad MSDSs
To obtain MSDSs from Bio-Rad, please visit http://www.bio-rad.com, and follow these instructions:
- Choose “USA” from the list of countries and click
- You can search the Bio-Rad listings by keywords. Enter the product name in the search box and click
- When the system returns the match, click on
to retrieve the MSDS as a PDF.
VWR
To obtain MSDSs from VWR, please visit http://www.vwrsp.com/search/index.cgi?tmpl=msds, and follow these instructions:
- Enter the product name and manufacturer, as VWR distributes for several companies.
- Click on
- When the system returns the matching chemical, click on the VIEW link to retrieve the MSDS as a PDF.
Malinckrodt-Baker
To obtain MSDSs from Malinckrodt-Baker, please visit http://www.mallbaker.com/Americas/catalog/default.asp?searchfor=msds, and follow these instructions:
- Select a country (United States)
- Enter the product name and choose the manufacturer (Baker or Malinckrodt, or both), and click
- When the system returns the match, click on
to retrieve the MSDS.
Can't Find The MSDS You Need?
If you need an MSDS not available through another link on this page, please contact the supplier or manufacturer of the product or chemical. They are required to provide MSDSs for the products and chemicals they provide.
Once you have received an MSDS from the manufacturer, contact the Hazard Communication Coordinator via e-mail for instructions on submitting an electronic copy of the MSDS to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign MSDS Database. You can also send paper copies through campus mail to: Hazard Communication Coordinator, DRS, 101 S. Gregory, MC-225.
When submitting an MSDS via campus mail, please identify the Department using the product, as well as the location it is used in so that it can added appropriately to our archives.
Need assistance understanding terms and acronyms found on MSDSs?
Interactive Learning Paradigms Incorporated (ILPI) has a website with a glossary for MSDS terms and acronyms located at: www.ilpi.com/msds/ref/.
Other Collections of MSDSs
WWW Searchable MSDS database
Available at http://hazard.com/msds/. Housed by Vermont SIRI (Safety Information Resources on the Internet), this site offers an extensive and well designed searchable database for Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS).
Finding MSDSs on the Internet
Available at http://www.ilpi.com/msds/index.html, this website has information about MSDSs, plus links to many of the major web-based repositories currently available.
