MSDS stands for Material Safety Data Sheet and contains important information relating to the properties of substances. An ethanol MSDS will contain information about the safe use, handling, storage and disposal of ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol. The MSDS will contain information about certain standard chemical and physical properties such as ethanol’s flash point, boiling point, etc., health procedures related to immediate contact with ethanol, such as spill handling procedures, its health effects, potential hazards, and first aid and recommended treatment for accidental contact. Ordinarily, material safety and data sheets are provided by chemical manufacturers and are made available to emergency personnel, health professionals and individuals who take delivery of, or handle, ethanol regularly; generally, they are not written for the everyday end consumer.

Traditionally, ethanol MSDS are split in to several sections, each dealing with a particular aspect related to ethanol. The initial section describes ethanol, its common synonyms and information about the company who produced the ethanol and the MSDS. Then the composition of the particular type of ethanol to which the MSDS pertains; ethanol can come in 100% or water diluted form (for instance E70 is 70% ethanol, 30% water.) Section 3 usually describes an emergency overview and contains a succinct summary of the major physical properties of ethanol, how it can be of danger if ingested, inhaled of brought in to contact with sensitive areas of the body (such as eyes and skin.) Section 3 will also list major areas that ethanol will effect if improperly used, including the liver, kidney and heart.
Section 4 moves on to emergency first aid measures and describes the major steps to be taken should anyone ingest or inhale ethanol, or get ethanol on their skin or in their eyes. Here there will be listed particular notes to any treating physician or health worker, and known antidotes.
Section 5 usually outlines best practices for tackling fires that result from, or are fuelled by, ethanol use. Ethanol is particularly volatile and therefore section five of most ethanol MSDS is related to avoiding heat and fire, and what how to best extinguish a fire driven by ethanol.
Section 6 pertains to treating ethanol spillages and other accidental releases. While section 7 frequently related to measures to be taken to safely handle and store ethanol, namely that it should be kept from heat and other chemicals (such as nitric acid, chromic acid and peroxides) that can make ethanol unstable.
The remaining sections are usually written for a more discerning and technical audience and contain particular information about the chemical and physical properties of ethanol, its chemical stability and reactivity, specific toxicological information, ecological and disposal considerations, regulations pertaining to safe transportation of ethanol, followed by any regulatory information related to ethanol which can vary from region to region.

MSDS usually finish with a section for additional notes that includes the creation date of the MSDS and a section for manufacturers or employers to append additional useful information that might fall outside the scope of the standard information of the data sheet.

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