25 October 2019 – Public consultation on Occupational Exposure Limits (OEL) of two substances launched – Amongst them Diisocyanates
The European Diisocyanate and Polyol Producers Association (ISOPA) and the European Aliphatic Isocyanates Producers Association (ALIPA) take note of the scientific report published by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) for the evaluation of limit values (OEL) for diisocyanates at the workplace. As manufacturers of diisocyanates, we stand ready to engage with ECHA, the European Commission, EU member states and other stakeholders to ensure safe use of diisocyanates in Europe.
Since 2015, we have been working with EU authorities to support the development of a REACH restriction on diisocyanates, which would in our view complement EU worker safety legislation, including the ongoing OEL process, to ensure that risks on the workplace are controlled through mandatory training. ECHA’s Risk Assessment Committee concluded in 2017 that “[…] the suggested restriction is the most appropriate EU wide measure to prevent new cases of respiratory sensitisation from exposure to diisocyanates by implementing harmonised training for the workforce”. We trust that EU and member state authorities will take this into account in upcoming discussions on the Commission’s restriction proposal and on ECHA’s OEL scientific report.