Volume 2, Issue 24

September 1-- Welcome to another issue of 3E HazMat Matters. Please forward this newsletter to any colleagues who might find it useful or have them request a subscription by clicking here. For information on how to opt-out, see the instructions at the end of this email.

Hurricane Katrina
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their friends and family members who have been affected by the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. To find out how you can help, visit http://echo.bluehornet.com/ct/ct.php?t=1024852&c=626815336&m=m&type=1, which provides information about several disaster relief efforts from various organizations, such as the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army and FEMA.

In this Issue:

National & User Group Events - BIG NEWS TO ANNOUNCE
Customer Success Story - Southwest Airlines
Ask the 3Experts
Tips N Tricks
Web Seminars & Local Events
Industry Articles: News You Can Use

Ask the 3Experts.....................................................................................................

Does Korea require translated MSDSs and labeling?

(1) MSDS

Korean Standards for the Preparation and Availability of Material Safety Data Sheets also requires each label of a container to be written in Korean  (including when Korean and foreign languages are written in the same warning labels). However, when a reagent is used in a laboratory for test and research purposes, or finished products in storage or transportation for export, the labels in Korean may not be affixed thereon.

Tips N Tricks...........................................................................................................

Searching for information in WebInsight when you know the CAS number is pretty straightforward, but what do you do when you don’t know the CAS number or you’re interested in a substance that doesn’t have a CAS number? 

Chemical Name searching is the answer to this problem.  Under the Chemical Database Search tab of WebInsight, use the drop-down box labeled Criteria to change the selection from “CAS RN” to “Chemical Name”.  You can then enter the chemical name you are looking for in the Search Pattern box and hit Go, but this will only return a result if the name you entered is an exact match to a name on one of the lists in the module(s) you checked.  A better way to search is using wildcards.  For example, entering “cotton*” in the Search Pattern box will give you a list of all names that start with “cotton” – and you can quickly find that the Ariel-assigned identifier for cotton dust is SEQ78, while the CAS number for cottonseed oil is 8001-29-4.  Similarly, you could enter “*cotton*” to find all chemical names with the word cotton anywhere in the name, or enter “*cotton” to find all chemical names that end with cotton.  Note that these last two searches will take a bit longer than the first one because the computer searches through all of the chemical names, not just the start of the names. 

Here are some tips to help you with conducting chemical name searches:

• Always enclose the text you want to search for in quotation marks in the Search Pattern box; this is especially important if there is a space anywhere in the name.
  Chemical name searches are not case-sensitive, so capitalization does not matter (but spelling does!).
• Try using a wildcard pattern like “cotton*” first before using “*cotton*” or “*cotton” to get quicker results.
• Checking the boxes for more modules will increase the number of names that are searched for matches to your pattern, but it will also increase the time required to complete the search.
• Checking the box for Global Inventories is usually a good idea, since the Inventories often include many more substances than are specifically listed in typical regulatory lists.
• If your search returns too many hits, try using more of the chemical name in your wildcard search pattern – for example, using “cottonseed*” will return fewer hits than “cotton*”
• You can build complex searches using standard Boolean techniques (AND, OR, NOT, and so forth) – click on the “more” link under the Search Pattern box to get more hints and tips on building Boolean searches.
• You can also have WebInsight guide you through the process of building a name search query by clicking on the “Query Builder” link.
  

The Auditing Roundtable Fall Meeting & Technology Expo
September 7-8
Arlington, VA