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Kenneth G. Orloff,¹ Dahna Batts-Osborne,¹ Theresa Kilgus,¹ Susan Metcalf,¹ and Mimi Cooper²

¹Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Atlanta, GA 30333 USA
²Randolph County Health Department, Asheboro, NC 27203 USA

Abstract
Residents living near a polyurethane foam manufacturing facility expressed concern to health officials over chemical emissions from the plant. Environmental monitoring of ambient air near the plant indicated the presence of toluene diisocyanate (TDI) , which was used in foam production. Health officials collected blood samples from 113 residents and analyzed the blood sera for antibodies to TDI and related diisocyanates. Ten of the 113 residents (9%) had elevated levels of IgG or IgE antibodies specific for one or more diisocyanates. Exposure histories were taken from antibody-positive individuals to identify possible occupational exposure to TDI or the use of diisocyanate-containing consumer products. Exposure to TDI in ambient air may be responsible for the positive antibody responses detected in some residents of the community. Key words: ambient air, antibodies, environmental exposure, toluene diisocyanate (TDI) . Environ Health Perspect 106:665-666 (1998) . [Online 11 September 1998]

http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/1998/106p665-666orloff/ abstract.html

Address correspondence to K.G. Orloff, 1600 Clifton Road, MS-E32, Atlanta, GA 30333 USA.

We thank the University of Cincinnati Clinical Allergy Diagnostic Laboratory for their technical assistance in performing the diisocyanate specific immunoassays (Kim Frazier, Zana Lummus, David I. Bernstein, and Jonathan A. Bernstein) .

Received 23 March 1998 ; accepted 8 June 1998.