Polyurethanes are used to make consumer goods like mattresses, sponges, textiles, shoe soles and many other products. Polyurethane products are made from polyols and diisocyanates; once fully reacted there is no longer any monomeric diisocyanate present.
Polyurethanes
are safe today and in future
When working with chemicals like adhesives and sealants, the precautions given in their material safety data sheets are important for protecting users' health and safety. One-component polyurethane adhesives and sealants cure by reaction with atmospheric moisture, and this reaction is based on cross-linking of the prepolymers through their isocyanate groups.
This reaction, also called curing, converts the extruded fluid product into a polyurethane polymer compound with unique properties. When applying such polyurethane products, users may be exposed to minimal amounts of unreacted monomeric diisocyanates that were used in the production of such prepolymers. Once the product is fully cured, however, the diisocyanates have reacted and the final compounds are completely free of these reactive chemicals.
| Regular Polyurethanes | Sika Purform® Polyurethanes | |
| Content of diisocyanate monomers | > 0.1 wt% | < 0.1 wt% |
| Training (as per REACH) | Yes | No |
| Additional Cost for Using | Yes | No |
| * depending on other ingredients |
Impact of REACH Legislation
The European Union has announced new legislation to further restrict the use of products containing more than 0.1% of monomeric diisocyanates.
The new European ECHA regulation requires professional construction and industrial users of products containing more than 0.1% of free monomeric diisocyanates to be trained, with instruction on the risks associated with working with diisocyanates and the corresponding required risk-management measures.
Further information from the European Chemical Agency (ECHA)
Purform® adhesives and sealants with an ultra-low monomer content
Sika, as the leading producer of polyurethane resin-based sealants and adhesives, takes the health and safety of users of Sikaflex® and SikaTack® products very seriously. This has led to our development of a new range of polyurethane prepolymers with an ultra-low monomer content, in order to allow continued unrestricted use of our products by professionals.
"When handling chemicals, it is important to keep the exposure to them as low as possible. The European Union has announced a new law to further restrict the use of polyurethane adhesives and sealants. The new Sika Purform Technology does all-comprehensively fulfill this new REACH legislation and contains not more than 0.1% of monomeric diisocyanates."
By using the Purform® technology for higher-performance polyurethane adhesives and sealants with ultra-low diisocyanate monomer content, we can meet the challenges of tomorrow, today.