There are several places you can get them:
- Your laboratory or workplace should have a collection of MSDS that came with the hazardous chemicals you have ordered (don't throw them away!)
- Most universities and businesses have a collection somewhere on site. Check with your Environmental or Occupational Health Office or science librarian. Some organizations use commercial services to obtain printed, FAX or on-line copies of MSDS's.
- You can get them from the distributor that sold you the material. If you can't find them then contact the manufacturer's customer service department. (Read this section about "downstream flow" of MSDS information)
- The Internet has a wide range of FREE resources. A list of 100 such sites is on Interactive Learning Paradigm's Where to Find MSDS's on the Internet page. Some of these are not MSDS but will provide more information about the chemicals you are working with.
- You can purchase software or internet subsciption services.
Books such as the Merck Index and Prudent Practices in the Laboratory are not acceptable substitutes for MSDS's, but these can give practical information on toxicity, physical properties and incompatibles.
