Applicability of Spray Polyurethane Foam Ventilation Guideline for Do-It-Yourself Application Events. 2019

Dustin Poppendieck, and Mengyan Gong, and Lisa Ng, and Brian Dougherty, and Vu Pham, and Stephen M Zimmerman
Engineering Lab, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg MD, USA.

Small two-component spray polyurethane foam (SPF) application kits are often applied by Do-It-Yourself (DIY) consumers. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes a guideline for ventilating a space where SPF is being applied to minimize exposure to mists, vapors, particles and dust. This study sought to assess the applicability of the EPA ventilation guideline in protecting non-application areas of a house from exposure to SPF-associated emissions during a DIY application. Specifically, the research sought to determine if the flame retardant in SPF, Tris(1-chloro-2-propyl)-phosphate (TCPP), migrates outside a temporarily-constructed isolation area during and after a SPF application in the basement of a test home. Tracer decay tests were used to characterize the enhanced ventilation during application. The tracer gas results highlighted the importance of setting up the house internal and external openings to achieve effective isolation and ventilation of the spray area. The DIY spray led to a statistically significant increase in the airborne TCPP concentration in the basement during the first eight hours after application. However, the basement TCPP concentrations during and immediately after the SPF application were not statistically different from the TCPP concentrations in the basement (associated with the application of SPF during construction) measured four years prior to this application. The data indicate that, for the case tested in this study, following the EPA SPF ventilation guideline protected the rest of the house from elevated TCPP concentrations. However, these results may not hold for higher loading rates, lower airflow rates, leakier isolation enclosures or non-analyzed chemicals.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries

Related Publications

Dustin Poppendieck, and Mengyan Gong, and Lisa Ng, and Brian Dougherty, and Vu Pham, and Stephen M Zimmerman
September 1971, The American review of respiratory disease,
Dustin Poppendieck, and Mengyan Gong, and Lisa Ng, and Brian Dougherty, and Vu Pham, and Stephen M Zimmerman
November 2008, Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries,
Dustin Poppendieck, and Mengyan Gong, and Lisa Ng, and Brian Dougherty, and Vu Pham, and Stephen M Zimmerman
September 1981, American Industrial Hygiene Association journal,
Dustin Poppendieck, and Mengyan Gong, and Lisa Ng, and Brian Dougherty, and Vu Pham, and Stephen M Zimmerman
June 1989, American Industrial Hygiene Association journal,
Dustin Poppendieck, and Mengyan Gong, and Lisa Ng, and Brian Dougherty, and Vu Pham, and Stephen M Zimmerman
October 2014, Environmental research,
Dustin Poppendieck, and Mengyan Gong, and Lisa Ng, and Brian Dougherty, and Vu Pham, and Stephen M Zimmerman
November 1984, Revue de l'infirmiere,
Dustin Poppendieck, and Mengyan Gong, and Lisa Ng, and Brian Dougherty, and Vu Pham, and Stephen M Zimmerman
September 1970, Nursing times,
Dustin Poppendieck, and Mengyan Gong, and Lisa Ng, and Brian Dougherty, and Vu Pham, and Stephen M Zimmerman
June 1994, Nursing standard (Royal College of Nursing (Great Britain) : 1987),
Dustin Poppendieck, and Mengyan Gong, and Lisa Ng, and Brian Dougherty, and Vu Pham, and Stephen M Zimmerman
July 2017, The Journal of pediatrics,
Dustin Poppendieck, and Mengyan Gong, and Lisa Ng, and Brian Dougherty, and Vu Pham, and Stephen M Zimmerman
December 2009, Harvard men's health watch,
Copied contents to your clipboard!