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Definition

The terms and abbreviations listed here are confusing, arcane, ambiguous and otherwise useless. We get really annoyed when folks write "N/K" on an Safety Data Sheet (SDS) instead of simply stating "Not Known".

There is no good reason to abbreviate terms on a SDS Safety Data Sheet!

SDS Relevance

Here are some of the more useless abbreviations we've seen on SDS's. Beware, the folks that use these may have meant something else...

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• C - Ceiling Value. For example, Toluene-2, 4-diisocyanate (TDI) has a PEL of (C)0.02 ppm.
• Code - On some SDS's that come out of the Department of Defense (DoD) HMIRS database, we have seen codes associated with almost every field that have are typically "M" or "T". These do not appear to be HMIRS Health Characteristic Codes. We hear directly (third-hand) that in this post-9/11 world the DoD does not wish us to know what the codes represent, even though they have released the codes for each entry! If anyone knows more about these, let us know.
• EST - Eastern Standard Time   Estimated (could also be "Established" when written "Not Est").
• MST - Mountain Standard Time   Mist.
• N/A (sometimes "NA") - Not Applicable, Not Available.
• N/Ap (sometimes "NA") - Not Applicable.
• N/Av (sometimes "NA") - Not Available.
• ND - North Dakota   None Determined or Not Determined.
• NE - Nebraska   North-East  None Established.
• NEGL - Negligee   Negligent   Negligible.
• NF - None Found.
• N/K (sometimes "NK") - Not Known.
• N/P (sometimes "NP") - Not Provided.
• REC - (sometimes "R") Recommended. Do not confuse with RTECS.
• S/A (sometimes "SA") Simple Asphyxiant
• SKN - Skin.
• SUP DAT - "whaSup (with) 'Dat?"   Possibly "Supply Missing Data" or "Supplementary Data". Apparently a database artifact?
• TS - Trade Secret.
• UNK - "Unknown".
• UNR - "Unreported".
• WATER -Z26020 (or other Z-type numbers), found under the solubility description. This is an error on certain long-outdated Sigma-Aldrich SDS's; looks like their computer forgot to put in the correct value.
• Wilson RISK Scale - as described in a separate entry, this is a proprietary and obsolete hazard rating system, so it's pointless to use it. Your opinion may differ, of course. But you're wrong.

If you find others, let us know.

Further Reading

• Acronym Finder claims to know 750,000+ acronyms.

See also: The Index Page of this site.

Entry last updated: Tuesday, February 8, 2022. This page is copyright 2000-2024 by ILPI. Unauthorized duplication or posting on other web sites is expressly prohibited. Send suggestions, comments, and new entry desires (include the URL if applicable) to us by email.

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