LOS ANGELES—The Adhesive and Sealant Council is continuing to protest the decision by the California Department of Toxics Control (DTSC) to classify spray polyurethane foam as a Priority Product to undergo alternative formula analysis.
The agency also must make its process for future product selections for Priority Product treatment more transparent, said Mark Collatz, ASC director of regulatory affairs, in a June 30 submission to the DTSC regarding California's new Safer Consumer Products regulation.
The DTSC's choice of spray PU foam as a Priority Product surprised the ASC and its members, particularly because the agency's Priority Product profile for spray foam was riddled with inaccuracies and misconceptions, Collatz said.
“Without the elimination of these erroneous references from the DTSC document, any misinformed person or organization who has visited their website can mischaracterize these products,” he said.
In future, Collatz said, the DTSC should consider establishing an external advisory committee to evaluate Priority Product classifications. This committee should be comprised of experts familiar with the materials under review, he said.
Collatz and other ASC representatives testified at a June 3 DTSC meeting in Los Angeles, saying that the agency's characterization of spray PU foam in its Priority Product profile was erroneous.
The worst error, they said, was that the DTSC said toluene diisocyanate and hexamethylene diisocyanate may be minor components or residual constituents in spray foam. This never happens, they said.