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News Release

Emissions testing discussion at CPI Conference:

Bayer MaterialScience, as part of emissions testing project team, 

explores effect of building materials on indoor air quality

Technical paper presentation discusses protocol developed to test effect of spray 

polyurethane foam 

San Antonio, September 29, 2008 — As the general public becomes increasingly 

aware of the significance of indoor air quality (IAQ), governmental agencies and 

public health organizations are also directing more attention toward this important 

issue. The increased attention on IAQ prompted the Center for the Polyurethanes 

Industry (CPI) and the Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance (SPFA) to jointly fund 

a project to learn more about the effect on IAQ from chemicals that may 

potentially be released from building materials – more specifically spray 

polyurethane foam – into the indoor air of a building. 

The specifics of the project and testing protocol will be explored in detail at the 

American Chemistry Council’s Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) 

Conference, taking place Sept. 29 – Oct. 1, 2008, in San Antonio. Brian 

Karlovich, CIH, CSP, manager of Industrial Hygiene Customer Services, 

Product Safety & Regulatory Affairs, Bayer MaterialScience LLC, will present the 

paper, CPI/SPFA Spray Polyurethane Foam Insulation Emissions Testing 

Project, during the Tuesday morning technical session on Environment, Health 

and Safety. 

Bayer MaterialScience LLC 

100 Bayer Road 

Pittsburgh, PA 15205-9741 

412-777-2000
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The Spray Polyurethane Foam Insulation Emissions Testing Project, led by a 

team of representatives from across the industry, including Bayer 

MaterialScience, developed a comprehensive testing protocol to evaluate the 

potential impact of installed spray polyurethane foam on IAQ. The draft protocol 

addresses foam sample preparation, collection and packaging, testing chamber 

parameters, and air sampling and analytical methods, among other factors. 

Once the protocol is finalized, it will be available for use by spray polyurethane 

foam manufacturers to test their particular spray foam products. 

In the paper and presentation, Karlovich outlines the process that was taken to 

develop the protocol. First, the team reviewed existing emissions testing 

programs and selected the Underwriters’ Laboratories of Canada – “Standard 

Laboratory Guide for the Determination of VOC Emissions from Polyurethane 

Foam” (CAN/ULC S774) as a basis for its protocol; the protocol that was 

developed is a modified version of CAN/ULC S774. The team then obtained blind 

data on blowing agents, catalysts and flame retardants from spray polyurethane 

foam manufacturers and identified the most repeated chemicals to determine 

“industry representative” spray polyurethane foams. 

The project team selected a laboratory, Air Quality Sciences (AQS), and 

polyurethane foam manufacturers to prepare the “industry representative” 

samples of one open-cell and one closed-cell foam. With specific instructions and 

parameters for the foam samples, the manufacturers supplied the foams to AQS 

where the emissions tests were performed within stainless steel chambers under 

tightly controlled environmental conditions. 

The discussion explores the exact testing procedure, in which air samples were 

collected at specific intervals following the foam’s placement in the chamber and 

tested for particular chemicals. For the next step, AQS will complete reports that 

include data, results and a detailed risk analysis based on its findings. These 

results will only be applicable to the particular spray polyurethane foam products 

that were tested, not to all spray polyurethane foam insulation products. In 

addition to posting the results on the CPI and SPFA Web sites, the project may 

be placed in a peer-reviewed journal, and the team will explore the feasibility of 

making the protocol an ASTM or other standard. 
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Bayer MaterialScience LLC is one of the leading producers of polymers and highperformance plastics in North America and is part of the global Bayer 

MaterialScience business with nearly 15,400 employees at 30 sites around the 

world and 2007 sales of 10.4 billion euros. Business activities are focused on the 

manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative 

solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments 

served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction, medical, and 

sports and leisure industries. Our inorganic basic chemicals unit produces 

chlorine and related essential products for the chemicals industry. 

Bayer Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is a subsidiary of Bayer AG, an 

international health care, nutrition and high-tech materials group based in 

Leverkusen, Germany. In North America, Bayer had 2007 net sales of 8.1 billion 

euros and employed 16,800 at year end. Bayer’s three subgroups, Bayer 

HealthCare, Bayer CropScience and Bayer MaterialScience, improve people’s 

lives through a broad range of essential products that help diagnose, prevent and 

treat diseases; protect crops and enhance yields; and advance automobile safety 

and durability. 

Contact: 

Thomas Erdner, Phone: 412-777-5200 

E-mail: thomas.erdner@bayerbms.com

For more information about BMS or for a copy of this technical paper, call 

1-800-662-2927, e-mail naftainfo@bayerbms.com or visit 

www.bayermaterialscienceNAFTA.com. 

This news release contains forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made 

by Bayer Group management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead 

to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of 

the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in our annual and interim 

reports filed with the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update 

these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.