Possible Solutions

• NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2005-149. Provides a physical description, exposure limits, measurement method, personal protection and sanitation, first aid, respirator recommendations, exposure routes, symptoms, target organs, and cancer sites.
  • Hexamethylene diisocyanate
  • Isophorone diisocyanate
  • Methyl isocyanate
  • Methylene bis (4-cyclohexylisocyanate)
  • Methylene bisphenyl isocyanate
  • Naphthalene diisocyanate
  • Toluene-2,4-diisocyanate
• Occupational Health Guidelines for Chemical Hazards. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), (January 1981). Contains information on identification, physical and chemical properties, health hazards, exposure limits, exposure sources and control methods, monitoring, personal hygiene, storage, spills and leaks, and personal protective equipment.
• Health Hazard Evaluations. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Performs Health Hazard Evaluations (HHE's) for a wide variety of industries that use isocyanates to determine whether any substance normally found in the workplace contains potentially toxic concentrations. NIOSH also provides specific control recommendations. To access the online database, follow the link and then search the site using the term "isocyanate." Some HHE's that focus on isocyanates are listed below.
  • Isocyanate Exposures From Polyurethane Foam Packaging Operations, General Motors Corporation, Allison Transmission Division, Indianapolis, Indiana. Report No. HETA 99-0065-2780, (December 1999).
  • Isocyanate-Containing Compounds During Spray Painting Operations, Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems, Marietta, Georgia. Report No. HETA 99-0122-2798, (June 2000).
  • Worker Exposure To Methylene-bisphenyl-diisocyanate (MDI) From Foam Spraying Operations In an Adjacent Building, Twin City Fruit, F.L. Thorpe Co., Deadwood, South Dakota. Report No. HETA 89-0278-2035, (April 1990).
  • Isocyanates Used In Some Powder Coatings, Modern Materials Incorporated, Rochester, Indiana. Report No. HETA 90-0174-2231, (July 1992).
  • Possible Isocyanate and Polyamide Imide Resin Exposures Occurring During Brazing and Welding Operations, Square D Company, Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Report No. HETA 94-0312-2512, (June 1995).
  • A Summary of Health Hazard Evaluations: Issues Related to Occupational Exposure to Isocyanates, 1989 to 2002. Report No. HETA 99-0039, (April 1999). Presents some background information about isocyanate exposures, health effects, analytical methods, and general recommendations for most isocyanate-related HHE's. The major portion of this document presents the titles and summaries of the site visits related to isocyantes conducted between 1989 and 2002.