Industrial News

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
It is important that the applicator be familiar with the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). The MSDS will usually contain these or similar topic sections: Product Description and/or Ingredients; Emergency Overview (including health and physical hazards); First Aid; Fire-Fighting; Spills and Decontamination; Handling and Storage of Materials; Personal Protection (described in more detail below); Ecology; Toxicology; Disposal; Transportation; and Regulatory information.

An applicator does not need to have a degree in chemistry, but he or she does need to have a degree of understanding and common sense about the materials being used. The applicator should know what is being applied and know the risks of handling those materials. The applicator is dealing with unreacted chemistry and, as such, must take certain precautions during transportation, unloading, preparation, and application of those materials.

What is Polyurea or Polyurea-Hybrid?
Polyureas are a combination of an isocyanate on the “A” side and an amine on the “B” side. A polyurea-hybrid is a combination of an isocyanate on the “A” side with a polyol on the “B” side. It should be noted that not all coating systems are created equal. The raw materials for the “A” side formulation typically contain about 1% residual free monomer, which could be HDI, IPDI (both UV stable), MDI, or TDI. However, polyurea systems manufacturers introduce additional monomer to the system to try to achieve certain properties. While this can save money and perhaps make the formulation task easier, it does increase the potential risk to the user. It is reported that some formulators today are using anywhere from 0% to as much as 20% or more monomer.

Hazards of Monomer
The concern with monomers is that they are smaller molecules than prepolymers. As such, they pose a greater potential danger to the user. While usage of proper safety equipment will protect the user, there is always the risk of improperly fitted masks, malfunctioning filters, carelessness/negligence on the part of the applicator, or some other unknown factor. While no one particular formula or concentration of monomer is currently recommended by any association, sheer logic would support that a higher concentration of monomer increases the potential threat for health and/or environmental hazard. As an applicator it is advisable to be aware of what you are using and take appropriate precautions to emphasize proper safety guidelines for applicator crews and people handling the materials.

Although it is also important, for the purpose of this article I will not discuss proper handling of solvents that may be used for cleanup or other use. Below are some possible reactions to exposure to unreacted polyurea materials. For the sake of simplicity, I have loosely combined the exposure reactions of both the “A” and “B” sides. The vast majority of symptoms are identical or very similar.

Exposure Symptoms
Eye: Irritation, burning, or chemical burns.

Skin: Toxins can be absorbed through the skin. Irritation, redness, or a burning sensation can result. A person can become sensitized to the materials after exposure. This can lead to an exaggerated response to even minimal concentrations of monomer. Therefore, sensitized persons should not be exposed to ANY level of unreacted monomer.

Respiratory: Irritation causing nasal discharge, coughing, discomfort in nose, throat, and chest. Severe exposure may result in difficulty breathing, risk of serious damage to the respiratory system, headache, nausea, vomiting, and drowsiness.

Safety Precautions
While it is likely that applicators are already well aware and properly trained in the area of Personal Protection, let’s do a quick overview of some current equipment used:

Eye Protection: Some type of chemical safety goggles or a half- or full-face shield. If any chance of splashing, a full-face shield is recommended. If you wear glasses, remember that prescription safety glasses will not be sufficient. Be sure to use equipment designed for use with glasses.

Skin Protection: Wear gloves to protect the hands; Neoprene, butyl rubber, or nitrile rubber gloves are preferred. Thin latex gloves may not be the best choice for repeated or long-term use. To protect the rest of the body, some type of protective clothing would be appropriate. This could include some type of full body zip up suit with or without an air hose depending on conditions. You may want to choose equipment according to your polyurea system supplier’s recommendations.

Know What You're Using
When deciding on a polyurea coating system, you may want to ask the system supplier the following questions to maintain safety.

What is the residual free monomer content in your system? (The lower the safer; this number will not likely exceed 1%.)

How much, if any, isocyanate monomer do you use in formulating the isocyanate side of the system?

We cannot, as an industry, afford to have injuries occur because of ignorance about the polyurea technology. This type of accident is costly on two levels: First, an injured worker takes money from the business via medical costs as well as lost work production time; Secondly, reports of injuries associated with any particular coating affects the public perception of the entire industry, from formulator to applicator. This takes money out of future orders.

What Can the Industry do to Promote Safety?
Clear, easily recognizable labeling of materials makes a lot of sense. It will not help anyone to ignore the real hazards of the chemistry by not being straightforward about what is being handled, transported, and used. Perhaps the time has come for a designation or rating system so that anyone in potential contact with unreacted polyurea materials can easily identify the level of potential health hazards associated with using a particular polyurea coating system. If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to forward them to the PDA and/or the author.

In summary, this article was designed to focus mainly on safe use of polyurea components. I would like to again remind any and all applicators in the polyurea community to be aware of what they are doing and what they are using. Protect yourself and others around you. Armed with this information and the proper training and equipment, the applicator should be well prepared to provide a high quality and safe coating for the customer, continued safe work and income for the applicator teams, increased jobs and profits for the application companies, and increased orders and profits for the manufacturers of the coating systems.