Evaluation of 1-(9-anthracenylmethyl) piperazine for the analysis of isocyanates in spray-painting operations.

A new reagent, 1-(9-anthracenylmethyl)piperzine (MAP), was used for the derivatization of airborne 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and polyisocyanates generated during spray-painting operations. The new reagent, which offers enhanced sensitivity and uniformity of response to both the monomeric and oligomeric forms of HDI, was compared directly with 1-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazine (MOP), the currently employed derivatizing reagent used in the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Method 5521. Both the validity of the side-by-side sampling protocol and the efficacy of two derivatizing reagents were evaluated in field studies. The analytical results indicate that there is no significant difference at the 95% confidence level in the concentration of polyisocyanate in the aerosol as determined by two impingers containing MAP and a third containing MOP when these are positioned in a side-by-side-by-side arrangement.