I dug through my files & found a real MSDS for Zestron's Vigon A200.
It is a "water-based blend of alkoxypropanols and amine-compounds."
Under Hazardous ingredients, only 1 item is listed:
1-Amino-2-methyl-propanol at 1 to 5% (I presume this is by weight). There
is no OSHA PEL for this compound.
Its pH is listed as 10.4 to 11.4 at 10 g/l
For eye and skin contact, they list it as a mild irritant.
If anyone would like a real copy, I could figure out how to email it.
Kathie Lambert
SMT Process Engineer
Northrop Grumman
Baltimore, MD
410-765-9746
-----Original Message-----
From: b_ellis [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, August 09, 2002 4:22 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [TN] Cleaning Solvent for Military Product
It would seem that there is either mis- or dis-information on the go.
Firstly, I reproach Zestron for an uninformative website. Most companies
put technical details and MSDS on their site.
OK, here goes: if Vigon were just an alcohol and water, why does the
solution have a pH exceeding 11? There is no way this could happen. I
have not seen a US MSDS but if it does not mention that it contains an
amine, then either the European product is different from the US one
(this is unlikely with an identical designation) or it is sadly lacking
in important information. Just dip a pH indicator paper into the
solution and then believe me!
All saponifiers contain an alkaline product, most frequently an organic
amine. This is no exception, but I forget which one is used in Vigon. It
may be a derivative of one of the propylene amines. It may be that the
MSDS uses a synonym that disguises tha amine group with something
containing nitrogen (analogue to ammonia = nitrogen trihydride): that I
cannot say. In any case, the odour of the hot solution gives the amine
away to anyone who has experience of using them. Commercial defluxing
saponifiers also contain solvents, because not all the flux residues are
saponifiable and solvents are a requirement to ensure maximal cleaning.
They are usually either heavy alcohols or diglycol ethers or a
combination of both. Therefore it is normal that the MSDS should mention
them.
Still don't believe me? OK. Look up the Handbook of Solvents, edited by
George Wypych, Chemtec Publishing (2001), p. 899, Section 14.8.2.1.4,
entitled Water-based cleaning agents based on MPC technology. This
section contains the following sentence: "Alkaline pH, that is essential
for the saponification process, can be realized through biochemical
buffer systems, predominately aminoalkanoles." And that was not written
by Brian Ellis but by Martin Hanek of Dr O.K. Wack Chemie and Andreas
Mühlbauer of the Zestron Corporation. Straight from the horse's mouth,
n'est ce pas? Or, rather, nicht war? Incidentally, the terminology in
this sentence is questionable: there is nothing bio- about the
buffering.
Worker safety: it is essential that operators wear full chemical
protection when handling either the concentrate or the working solution.
An untreated splash of the concentrate, or even the solution, in the
eyes could lead to rapid blindness. At the best, even if treated
immediately, it would be screamingly painful. It should never be used or
stored without a functional eyewash basin in the immediate vicinity. The
skin is also sensitive and splashes should be washed immediately in
copious rinses (if I clean one circuit by unprotected hand in the
solution with a brush, the skin desquamates from that brief exposure -
voice of experience). Vapours: all amines are toxic to inhale. I don't
know the OEL for this particular one, but MEA, the most popular amine,
is usually in the 3 - 10 ppm range, in most countries. If you can smell
it, the concentration is probably already too high. For example, in the
US, the PEL for MEA is 3 ppm and the odour threshold is 2.6 ppm.
Although I don't have figures, there is no reason to believe that other
amines are that much more benign. Also, if ingested, it would not
improve the health of the operator. Large quantities of lemon juice (or
Coca Cola), followed by a suspension of active carbon in water, would be
the best treatement if the patient is conscious. Do NOT provoke
vomiting. Call a doctor immediately. If the patient is unconscious, keep
airways free, monitor his state and if necessary administer oxygen or
mouth-to-mouth respiration. Likely doses would not cause cardiac
depression in normal patients but, if strictly necessary, CPR could be
administered until medical help arrives.
Environment:
1) Heavy metals: By definition, the fluxes will remove heavy metal
oxides from the solder and components to form heavy metal salts. These
will be removed in the Vigon solution. This solution, and the filter
cartridges, are therefore hazardous waste and must never be disposed of
by normal channels without prior recovery of the heavy metals. As the
solution is used for long periods, because of their unique process, the
metal concentration may rise to such levels that the solution dragged
out may contain enough to contaminate the first wash water, depending on
the cleaning machine design. It is therefore essential to check that
this water, too, is acceptable for disposal according to the local
regulations
2) pH: Most water companies accept waste water with a pH between 6 and
8.5 or 9 (check your local regulations). You are required to ensure that
anything you send to waste is within tolerance. The solution most
certainly isn't. If your waste water is consistently alkaline, some
types of sewage pipes could be damaged, causing leaks that would be
health hazard for the local population.
3) Biodegradability: everything organic is biodegradable, given enough
time and the right conditions. Ideally, we want biodegradation to be as
rapid as possible. Given enough oxygen, there is no reason to believe
that Vigon A-200 would not aerobically degrade rapidly, which is good.
However, is there enough oxygen? Many treatment plants for either
industrial or publicly owned run at the limit of their oxygenation
capabilities. If it is insufficient, suddenly adding large quantities of
Vigon solution with a relatively high concentration of organic matter
with C-3 or higher molecules may overload the capabilities of the plant.
Check with your effluent/hazardous waste disopsal chain.
4) VOC: Vigon is a volatile organic compound: check with your local
authorities whether you require a scrubber in your ventilation system
before discharge to the air.
I'm sorry to be a prophet of doom but, from the info given in posts
here, it would seem that some users may have been ill-informed. I'm
therefore putting the church back where it belongs, in the middle of the
village.
I put into service the first Vigon A-200 system in Switzerland. I was
very impressed by its performance, better than other saponifiers I
tried. It's damn good, in fact. However, I was unimpressed by the fact
that the importer had not complied with Swiss labelling requirements nor
given my client any H&S advice. However, at the time, it was a new
product and I assumed that the appropriate compliance would follow. With
this experience, I do know what I'm talking about, so please give me a
little credit and, if you use the product, make sure you use it well and
safely. You can only be satisfied if you wish to go the saponification
route.
Best regards,
Brian
PS PLEASE spell my name correctly: flattery will get you nowhere :-)
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