What are ISOCYANATES? - Isocyanates are a family of highly reactive chemical compounds that are often the raw materials found in polyurethane products, including many vehicle paints. They are an important product in paints because they have served as a good coatings hardener and long lasting surface protectant. You might expect to see some Isocyanates in your bodyshops.

 

Isocyanate exposure can impact anyone who works within a body shop if the substance is not contained properly. In many studies, it has been shown to cause a number of harmful short-term and long-term health affects. Some short-term affects can range from chest tightness to wheezing, and even impotency. The long term side affects include: Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Anemia Syndrome (bleeding in the lungs) & Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis. Isocyanates are even suspected to cause cancer. Are you protecting your painters?

 

How Isocyanates Can Affect Your Business

 

Isocyanates can affect everyone in a body shop, even the office staff! Here are some “Real Life” examples.

 

Example 1
Workers in a large body shop reported a strong paint smell throughout the shop. They also complained that their chests had a tight feeling. Management acted and had the shop evaluated by a firm who performs biological monitoring. They found that everyone in the shop was being exposed to Isocyanates. Ironically enough, the person with the most exposure in the body shop was not a painter or a tech.   It was one of the office staff. After more research on how the body shop Isocyanates levels were so high, it was found that the filters in the down draft booths were clogged, and one of the sensors had failed causing the booths to become over-pressurized during the baking process. The over-pressurized booths and poor filtration caused chemical overexposure throughout the entire facility resulting in numerous employee illnesses and lost time from work.   These illnesses could have been avoided if the booths had been inspected on a routine basis.

 

Example 2
A new employee was hired as a painter at a body shop. The painter was instructed to wear a ½ face- organic vapor respirator instead of a supplied-air respirator. The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for the paints indicated that the paints contained ISOCYANATES. However, the MSDS was never referenced with the painter prior to completing his work.  A few months after he began using these paints, he started wheezing a lot at night after work ended. He assumed that he was just getting a cold, but as he continued to work, the “cold” never seemed to get much better. After two years, the painter had an asthma attack that put him in the hospital. Unfortunately, this painter had developed a chronic lung disease and was never able work as a painter again. He remains disabled and unemployable, thus negatively impacting his family’s livelihood, not to mention the enormous impact on the employer’s workers compensation expenses. Had the employer installed a supplied- air ventilation system to be used with paints containing Isocyanates, this employee would still be gainfully employed. Instead his company will pay workers compensation benefits for the remainder of his life.

 

Example 3
A veteran painter who had been a long-term employee with a commercial auto body shop was properly instructed by his employer to wear a supplied-air respirator when painting. Unbeknownst to the employer, this painter would frequently remove his hood so that he could make sure the paint coverage on a vehicle was adequate. By removing his hood frequently throughout the painting process, he did not allow enough time for the overspray mist to clear and ventilate properly from the booth. Over time, the painter started to experience tightness in his chest but never realized that the asthma he had developed a few years earlier was actually being caused by his Isocyanate exposure at work. He continued to work until eventually his asthma was so bad that he could no longer do his job and had to quit. Now, because of the Isocyanate induced asthma, this gentleman cannot take more than 20 steps before having to stop and catch his breath. He remains unemployed and receiving Workers Compensation benefits. This could have been avoided if the employer had provided routine respiratory safety training and enforced the company’s safety rules.

 

How Do You Know If Your Paints Contain Isocyanates?

 

Isocyanates are typically a component in many paints and clear coats. To know if your paints contain Isocyanates, you need to refer to the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). BUT, you won’t always see the word ISOCYANATE in the MSDS. So Reader Beware!!! 

 

Some trade names of Isocyanates are:

• POR
• Centari
• Macconate
• Mondur
• Imron
• Hylene
• Niax
• Desmodur
• Isonate
• Rubinate

Always read the MSDS… And always reference the Personal Protective Equipment portion of the MSDS for proper guidance.