MSDS and ToxNet

I work in the front office at an urgent care clinic, so my exposure to chemicals is not very high. One thing we use often in the front office is the Super Sani-Cloth Germicidal Wipe to disinfect desk tops, keyboards, telephones, clipboards, and pens. The wipes contain a mixture of chemicals that include: Isopropyl Alcohol, n-Alkyl (60% C14, 32% C16, 5% C12, 5% C18) dimethyl benzyl ammonium chlorides, and n-Alkyl (68% C12, 32% C14) dimethyl ethylbenzyl ammonium chlorides. Using the MSDS I answered the following questions:

• What are the health risk associated with this chemical?
• The product is flammable and can cause serious eye irritation.
• Is the chemical a carcinogen?
• The product is not considered carcinogenic.
• What personal protective equipment or special precautions should be taken when working with this chemical?
• PPE include eye protection as appropriate, disposable protective gloves as appropriate, and suitable respiratory equipment if insufficient ventilation.
• When using the product, one should not eat, drink, or smoke. One should wash his or her hands after using product.
• If this is a chemical found in your workplace, what training/education were you given about any risks associated with this chemical?
• I do not believe I was given any training/education for the use of these wipes. I remember being told that there is a 2 minute dry time and maybe I was told to use gloves but I honestly can't remember. I read the bottle the wipes come in, use gloves when using the product, and wash my hands immediately after use. I think there needs to be training or reminders for safely using this product. I've observed coworkers use this product with their bare hands and I've also watched a coworker use the product to clean ink off of one of the desk tops where soap and water probably would have been sufficient. 

I noticed on the MSDS under Toxicological Information that "not available" or "not applicable" was listed next to the specifics for skin corrosion/irritation (ex: exposure minutes) and for respiratory or skin sensitization. Using TOXNET, I looked up isopropyl alcohol which is the major chemical component in the wipes. Though the major risks of the wipes listed on the MSDS were its flammability and serious eye irritation, there were many other adverse health effects listed on TOXNET. These included central nervous depression, liver, kidney, cardiovascular depression, brain damage, drowsiness, coma and respiratory depression, irritation of mucous membranes and eyes, among other things. It was surprising to me that the MSDS made the product seem safer than it might actually be.