Safe Use of Methacrylates
MPA promotes good product stewardship practices for end use applications and users of its products. The information provided by the links below will guide you to information regarding proper use and handling of methacrylate monomer products, as supplied by MPA member companies.
Information on products that are made from methacrylate monomers should be obtained from the company making the specific products. MPA member companies manufacture millions of pounds of methacrylate monomers per year that are supplied to many downstream industries. These downstream industries in turn produce a wide range of products containing methacrylate based polymers and in some cases methacrylate monomer. It is the responsibility of these downstream manufacturers to provide relevant safe handling advice for these products.
Industrial
In industrial application it is always important to obtain a current Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) from your supplier and follow the guidance.
For more information regarding the Safe Storage and Handling Practices for Methacrylates, see Methacrylates and Industrial Hygiene.
Professional and Skilled Trade
Before using any chemical product, the user should be properly trained in safe handling procedures for that product. This means that you should always contact the supplier of the product you are using to obtain the most current safe handling advice.
Do-It-Yourself, Hobbyists and other Consumers
It is important to read and follow the guidance on the product label or packaging. See Methacrylate and Do-It-Yourself for more information.
Dermal Protection during High Dexterity Applications with Low Molecular Weight Methacrylate Formulations
MMA has been used by industrial and professional workers for many years. While it is recognized that MMA can cause contact dermatitis in workers, it is clear that it can be handled safely. In this regard, some glove types provide a higher degree of protection than others, so selection of the most appropriate glove type for a given application is important. Selection of the most appropriate glove depends on consideration of a number of factors including the physical strength of the glove, the degree of manual dexterity required, the amount of permeation through the glove material, the duration of wear, and perhaps the cost of the glove.
For some applications that require high dexterity, thin gloves are desirable, which restricts the range of available glove types and materials. For the best advice on the selection of the most suitable glove for their intended purpose the user should contact the manufacturer of the end-use product containing MMA and the glove manufacturer. For furhter information see MPA's Summary Report.
