Abbreviations and acronyms in Safety Data Sheets
MSDS-Europe – Safety Data Sheet knowledge base – Abbreviations and acronyms in Safety Data Sheets
In Safety Data Sheets (SDS), especially in Section 16 (“Other information”), it is necessary to provide a legend explaining all abbreviations and acronyms used. This ensures that readers can understand technical shorthand appearing in the document.
SDSs are standardised 16-section documents that communicate hazard and safety information for substances and mixtures, and they often contain numerous acronyms—from regulatory references (e.g. CLP, REACH) to scientific terms (e.g. LD50, PNEC). Providing explanations for these abbreviations helps maintain clarity and compliance with legal requirements.
SDS acronyms
The term SDS itself is an acronym for Safety Data Sheet, the standardised hazard communication document used internationally. (In the past, the term MSDS – Material Safety Data Sheet – was commonly used, but SDS is now the preferred term.) An SDS provides essential safety and handling information for chemicals.
Within an SDS, it is common to encounter many other acronyms that denote chemical properties, regulatory bodies, exposure limit concepts, etc. These acronyms help keep the SDS concise and internationally understandable, since many are derived from English terms or established international conventions.
SDS abbreviations explained
Every SDS must include an explanation or key for each abbreviation used, usually in Section 16 as a glossary. For example, if an SDS uses the term PBT, it will note that this stands for “persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic”. Similarly, acronyms like ADR or GHS are defined (e.g. ADR may be explained as the European agreement on the international carriage of dangerous goods by road).
By providing these definitions, the SDS remains accessible to all readers. The glossary of abbreviations typically covers regulatory acronyms (such as OSHA, ECHA), toxicological and exposure terms (LC50, DNEL), chemical descriptors (COD, LD50), and any other shorthand used in the document.
Abbreviations and acronyms used in SDSs in other languages
It’s worth noting that the name and some acronyms can differ in other languages, even if the concept is the same. For example, Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is termed “biztonsági adatlap” in Hungarian, “Sicherheitsdatenblatt” in German, “Fiche de données de sécurité” in French, “Scheda di dati di sicurezza” in Italian, “Ficha de datos de seguridad” in Spanish, “Fișă cu date de securitate” in Romanian, and “Karta charakterystyki” in Polish.
However, the scientific and regulatory abbreviations within SDSs (like those listed below) are often consistent internationally. Many acronyms originate from English or from the names of international agreements (for instance, ADR comes from a French-named treaty but is used across many languages). Each country may also use specific local abbreviations for certain concepts (for instance, Hungary uses ÁK and CK for exposure limits, whereas English SDSs commonly use terms such as TWA and STEL). In all cases, providing a glossary in the local language is essential so that readers can identify the meaning of each acronym in context.
EN I DE I FR I ES I IT I PL I CS I RO I SL I SK I HU
The most common abbreviations and acronyms in Safety Data Sheets
Below is a list of some of the most frequently encountered abbreviations and acronyms in SDSs, along with their explanations:
ADN: European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Inland Waterways.
ADR: European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road.
ATE: Acute Toxicity Estimate.
AOX: Adsorbable organic halides.
BCF: Bioconcentration factor.
BOD: Biological Oxygen Demand.
CAS number: Chemical Abstracts Service number.
CLP: Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures.
CMR: Carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction.
COD: Chemical Oxygen Demand.
CSA: Chemical Safety Assessment.
CSR: Chemical Safety Report.
DNEL: Derived No-Effect Level.
ECHA: European Chemicals Agency.
EC: European Community.
EC number: European Community number (EINECS and ELINCS numbers; see also EINECS and ELINCS).
EEC: European Economic Community.
EEA: European Economic Area (EU + Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway).
EINECS: European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances.
ELINCS: European List of Notified Chemical Substances.
EN: European Standard.
EU: European Union.
EuPCS: European Product Categorisation System.
EWC: European Waste Catalogue (replaced by LoW – see below).
GHS: Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals.
IATA: International Air Transport Association.
ICAO-TI: Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air.
IMDG: International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code.
IMO: International Maritime Organization.
IMSBC: International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes Code.
IUCLID: International Uniform Chemical Information Database.
IUPAC: International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
Kow: n-octanol/water partition coefficient.
LC50: Median lethal concentration (50% mortality).
LD50: Median lethal dose (50% mortality).
LoW: List of Waste.
LOEC: Lowest Observed Effect Concentration.
LOEL: Lowest Observed Effect Level.
NOEC: No Observed Effect Concentration.
NOEL: No Observed Effect Level.
NOAEC: No Observed Adverse Effect Concentration.
NOAEL: No Observed Adverse Effect Level.
OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
PBT: Persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic.
PNEC: Predicted No-Effect Concentration.
QSAR: Quantitative Structure–Activity Relationship.
REACH: Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals.
RID: Regulations concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail.
SCBA: Self-contained breathing apparatus.
SDS: Safety Data Sheet.
STOT: Specific Target Organ Toxicity.
SVHC: Substances of Very High Concern.
UN: United Nations.
UVCB: Substances of Unknown or Variable composition, Complex reaction products or Biological materials.
VOC: Volatile organic compounds.
vPvB: very persistent and very bioaccumulative.
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