MSDS are one of the worst things to happen to chemical safety, when combined with the litigious nature of society today. Because the writer of the MSDS must be worried about getting sued if something goes wrong that he did not explicitly state in the MSDS, every single one reads as if the chemical were a chemical weapon. The net effect of this is the treatment of benign compounds as if they were far more dangerous than they are, and the ones that one must be very careful with have such similar MSDS properties, that one is more careless. Proper enlightened safety comes from full research on a compound, far beyond looking at a MSDS...
It is also noteworthy that acetone is a byproduct of biological reactions in vivo.
For example the below warning on several MSDSs:
1) Highly toxic if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Exposure to even small amounts may be fatal. Readily absorbed through the skin.
2)May be harmful by inhalation, ingestion or skin absorption. Irritant. Liquid may cause permanent eye damage (corneal clouding). Contact with skin may cause defatting, leading to irritation. Long-term exposure may cause liver damage. Typical TLV 750 ppm. Typical OEL 250 ppm.
3)This material is strongly corrosive and causes serious burns. Very harmful if swallowed. Lachrymator.
4) Poison. May be fatal if swallowed. Chronic exposure may lead to damage of CNS, liver, spleen, kindey or bone marrow. Respiratory irritant. Typical TLV/TWA 0.5 mg m-3
5) Toxic if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Reported as causing cancer in laboratory animals. Anticipated human carcinogen. May cause irreversible damage. Mutagen. Causes severe irritation. Corrosive.
6) This material is a known carcinogen. The risks of using it in the laboratory must be fully assessed before work begins. TLV 10 ppm. Short-term exposure may cause a variety of effects, including nausea, vomiting, dizziness, narcosis, reduction in blood pressure, CNS depression. Skin contact may lead to dermatitis. Long-term exposure may lead to irreversible effects. Severe eye irritant. Skin and respiratory irritant.
7) Harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Very destructive of mucous membranes. May produce fatal aplastic anaemia and other blood disorders. Eye and respiratory irritant. May cause allergic skin reaction.
Now some of these seem worse than others, such as #1 (deservedly too!), but looking at 4,5,6,7 is this helpful at all in determining which are to be handled in which way? Now one of those 4 requires much more stringent handling than the other 3, but you would not know which from the MSDS
1) sarin nerve gas
2)acetone
3)acetic acid
4) barium nitrate
5) hydrazine
6) benzene
7) potassium perchlorate
Which of the latter 6 (because 1 is obvious
) would you think one should take the most precautions working with, from looking at the MSDS?