Editing Isocyanate (section)

=== Regulation ===

==== United States ====
The [[Occupational Safety and Health Administration]] (OSHA) is the regulatory body covering worker safety. OSHA puts forth permissible exposure limit (PEL) 20&nbsp;ppb for MDI and detailed technical guidance on exposure assessment.<ref name=":6" />

The National Institutes of Health ([[National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health|NIOSH]]) is the agency responsible for providing the research and recommendations regarding workplace safety, while OSHA is more of an enforcement body. NIOSH is responsible for producing the science that can result in recommended exposure limits (REL), which can be lower than the PEL. OSHA is tasked with enforcement and defending the enforceable limits (PELs). In 1992, when OSHA reduced the PEL for TDI to the NIOSH REL, the PEL reduction was challenged in court, and the reduction was reversed.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal |date=1996-03-01 |title=Request for assistance in preventing asthma and death from diisocyanate exposure |url=https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/96-111/default.html |language=en-us |doi=10.26616/NIOSHPUB96111|doi-access=free }}</ref>

The Environmental Protection Agency ([[United States Environmental Protection Agency|EPA]]) is also involved in the regulation of isocyanates with regard to the environment and also non-worker persons that might be exposed.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/spray-polyurethane-foam-spf-insulation-and-how-use-it-more-safely |title=Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) Insulation and How to Use it More Safely |author=US EPA, OCSPP, OPPT, EETD |website=US EPA |date=2015-06-06 |language=en |access-date=2018-11-22}}</ref>

The [[American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists]] (ACGIH) is a non-government organization that publishes guidance known as threshold limit values (TLV)<ref name=":7" /> for {{clarify span|chemicals based research as constant work exposure level without ill-effect|date=August 2019}}. The TLV is not an OSHA-enforceable value, unless the PEL is the same.

==== European Union ====
The [[European Chemicals Agency]] (ECHA) provides regulatory oversight of chemicals used within the European Union.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://echa.europa.eu/-/restriction-proposal-on-diisocyanates-and-several-authorisation-applications-agreed-by-rac-and-seac |title=Restriction proposal on diisocyanates and several authorisation applications agreed by RAC and SEAC |publisher=ECHA |website=echa.europa.eu |language=en-GB |access-date=2018-11-22}}</ref> ECHA has been implementing policy aimed at limiting worker exposure through elimination by lower allowable concentrations in products and mandatory worker training, an administrative control.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.european-coatings.com/Raw-materials-technologies/Proposed-restriction-of-diisocyanates |title=Proposed restriction of diisocyanates |author=Vincentz Network GmbH & Co. KG |website=European Coatings |language=en-GB |access-date=2018-11-22}}</ref> Within the European Union, many nations set their own occupational exposure limits for isocyanates.

==== International groups ====
The [[United Nations]], through the [[World Health Organization]] (WHO) together with the [[International Labour Organization]] (ILO) and [[United Nations Environment Programme]] (UNEP), collaborate on the [[International Programme on Chemical Safety]] (IPCS) to publish summary documents on chemicals. The IPCS published one such document in 2000 summarizing the status of scientific knowledge on MDI.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.who.int/ipcs/publications/cicad/en/cicad27.pdf?ua=1 |title=Concise International Chemical Assessment Document 27: DIPHENYLMETHANE DIISOCYANATE (MDI) |last=Sekizawa J., Greenberg M. M. |date=2000 |access-date=2018-11-18}}</ref>

The IARC evaluates the hazard data on chemicals and assigns a rating on the risk of carcinogenesis. In the case of TDI, the final evaluation is possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://monographs.iarc.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/mono71-37.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125074002/https://monographs.iarc.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/mono71-37.pdf |archive-date=2018-11-25 |url-status=live |title=TOLUENE DIISOCYANATES |publisher=IARC |date=1987 |access-date=2018-11-18}}</ref> For MDI, the final evaluation is not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans (Group 3).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://monographs.iarc.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/mono71-47.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125115450/https://monographs.iarc.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/mono71-47.pdf |archive-date=2018-11-25 |url-status=live |title=4,4′-METHYLENEDIPHENYL DIISOCYANATE AND POLYMERIC 4,4′-METHYLENEDIPHENYL DIISOCYANATE |access-date=2018-11-18}}</ref>

The International Isocyanate Institute is an international industry consortium that seeks promote the safe utilization of isocyanates by promulgating best practices.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.diisocyanates.org/ |title=Welcome to the International Isocyanate Institute |access-date=2018-11-18}}</ref>