Isocyanates are chemicals that are used in the production of polyurethane resins. Free or uncured isocyanates are very toxic and can cause long-term health effects like asthma, allergies, and skin reactions. Once the polyurethane resin is cured, the free isocyanate is consumed and the polymer becomes safe.
Isocyanates can be found in all kinds of construction materials: construction foams, polyurethane paints, polyurethane varnishes, injection foams that are used for home insulation, coating for bathtub retrofit. During the hand application of paint or foam, the isocyanate is manually mixed with a binder, and the final product is cured within few hours. Until the product is fully cured, and the last traces of free isocyanate are evaporated, tenants can not return to the property because they can be exposed to a very high concentration of Isocyanate vapor.
The secondary exposure may occur for days and weeks after the initial application of the isocyanate product. The problem starts when some isocyanate remains uncured inside the resin and slowly evaporates into residential air.
The most commonly used isocyanates include methylenebis (phenyl isocyanate) (MDI), toluene diisocyanate (TDI), and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI). MDI is a frequent component of solid foams like foam mattresses, memory foam, and house foam insulation. HDI is a major constituent of polyurethane paints and coatings.
Industrial exposure limits for volatile isocyanates in Ontario Canada is set at 5 ppb (parts per billion, see ONTARIO REGULATION 490/09). While exposure limits for the general public have not been established, EPA US offers a Reference Concentration (RfC) for MDI at 0.0006 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m³) or about 0.1 ppb. Our laboratory can detect as little as 0.2 ppb of isocyanates in residential air, which is close to EPA RFC number and is sufficient for most studies.
Our laboratory offers an air sampling kit that allows you to collect isocyanate vapor in your house or office if you suspect the presence of toxic isocyanates in your house.
The Sampling Kit is Recommended For homeowners and air quality professionals who want to test residential indoor air for the presence of isocyanates. The kit can only detect isocyanates that are evaporating into the air of your house. The test is not suitable to backtrack previous exposure to isocyanates.
Plan your Sampling. Contact your vendor or contractor and find out what isocyanate was used in your home. Our laboratory will need to know what isocyanate should we test for.
The Sampling Kit includes one air sampling pump, several cassettes that are used to capture isocyanates from the air, sampling instruction. The sampling takes 5 hours to collect a single sample. The samples that you collect require laboratory testing and should be returned to our laboratory for analysis. The samples should be shipped to the laboratory overnight
Laboratory Analysis. LCS Laboratory Inc uses OSHA 42/47 methods for the detection of 3 common isocyanates: TDI, HDI, and MDI. During the test, we extract isocyanates from the air-sampling-cassettes and test the extract using HPLC-UV technology. The procedure can detect as little as 0.2 ppb of isocyanate in air and is suitable for both Industrial and Residential air.
Understand your Laboratory Report. On your report find a column that shows the concentration of isocyanate in ppb. If we tested for MDI, it would show “MDI ppb” followed by the number.
- If the result is <0.2 ppb, then the isocyanate was not detected in the air of your house.
- If the result is between 0.2ppb and 5ppb, then the isocyanate is detected. The concentration is significantly high and eventually may affect your health. You should eliminate the source of isocyanate in your house.
- If the result is 5ppb or more, then the isocyanate is detected at a high concentration above the regulated limit.
About LCS Laboratory. LCS laboratory is a professional air quality laboratory located in London, Ontario, Canada. Most tests, including this one, are unique to our laboratory and cannot be found anywhere else. The typical cost of isocyanate testing is $320 plus shipping and taxes and depends on the number of samples (rooms) you want to test.
Thank you for your interest and stay safe. Please email us to place your order or if you have any questions
